Harriet Tubman Cultural Center Wins Project Of The Year Award For Historical Restoration

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The Harriet Tubman Cultural Center has been selected the winner of the American Public Works Association Mid-Atlantic Chapter's 2024 Project of the Year Award for historical restoration/preservation in the $5 to $25 million category.

The HTCC now is eligible to win a APWA National award.

"This award is a reflection of our steadfast investment and commitment to preserving and restoring this important piece of our county’s history, ensuring that we are able to continue to learn from our past, while creating an even brighter future for all. I’m grateful to our bureau of facilities team for the care, effort and consideration they took throughout this significant restoration project," said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.

The Harriet Tubman School opened in 1949 in a neighborhood founded by recently freed slaves as Howard County’s only all-black high school until it was closed in 1965 when segregation ended in the county. The Howard County Public School System used the school for 50 years before transferring ownership of the building and surrounding property to Howard County Government to be preserved as a historic, educational and cultural center.

Ball allocated more than $7.5 million from fiscal year 2019-fiscal year 2024 in capital funding for renovations. State funding of nearly $2 million also was provided for the project. The Howard County Department of Public Works managed the full building rehabilitation of the former Harriet Tubman High School, working closely with Howard County’s Department of Recreation & Parks and the Harriet Tubman Foundation.

"We’re extremely proud of DPW’s role in the transformation of the former Harriet Tubman school into a new cultural landmark and vibrant community center. Receiving a regional award provides an opportunity for those outside the county to learn about this important project," said Sharon Walsh, chief of the Howard County Bureau of Facilities, Department of Public Works.

The renovated building includes a recreated classroom and principal’s office, artwork, photographic displays, historical exhibits and rentable spaces including a 1,700-square-foot multipurpose room, an auditorium and a recording studio, plus office space for the Harriet Tubman Foundation.