Howard University Miner Building
Washington, DC
Studio Twenty Seven Architecture is finishing design work on the Myrtilla Miner Building at Howard University. Howard University’s central campus includes several National Historic Landmarks. National Historical Landmarks are buildings the U.S Secretary of the Interior has designated as structures of national significance to American history and culture. The Myrtilla Miner Building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its significant role in Black Education in Washington, DC. The approximately eighty thousand square feet of the building were constructed in 1913 and served as a teacher-training school for African Americans.
All photos copyright Allen Russ Photography, LLC, StudioHDP.
Named for Myrtilla Miner, an educator who fought to advance the rights of African American students and teachers, the graduates of the D.C. school became the source for African American educators in local and segregated schools around the country. The school established, however, the primary focus of 1851 as an institution of learning and training for young African American women. The school offered primary schooling and classes in domestic skills the primary focus was on the education and training of teachers.
Gymnasium Existing
Gymnasium Proposed
Facility Office Existing
Facility Office Proposed
The building has remained vacant for decades, absent one corridor on the first-floor level renovated to accommodate a few classrooms for the Howard University School of Education. Howard University will renovate the building for use by the Howard University School of Education and the Howard University Charter Middle School for Mathematics and Science. Both programs are currently housed elsewhere on campus.
Facility Office Existing
Facility Office Proposed
Classroom Existing
Classroom Proposed
The careful renovation of this historic building will restore its historical integrity and showcase its landmark designation as a building that contributed to African Americans’ advancement throughout history. The building’s massive size, lofty perch, and significant architectural character mark it as a landmark structure for the Howard campus, Washington DC’s Georgia Avenue corridor, and the Nation overall.
