What’s happening: A recent grant from the National Park Service will aid historic preservationists’ efforts to maintain and preserve the historic headquarters of the Detroit Association of Women’s Club (DAWC). The City of Detroit Historic Designation Advisory Board (HDAB) is just one of eight recipients to be awarded a $75,000 History of Equal Rights (HER) Grant by the NPS in this latest round.
What it is: The building at 5461 Brust St. in Detroit’s Cultural Center neighborhood was initially built as a home for William Lennane in 1913. The building was sold to what was then called the Detroit Association of Colored Women’s Club (DACWC) in 1941, which would make the home its headquarters. The DAWC still owns their historic HQ to this day, and this recent grant should help build momentum toward additional grants and future historic restoration and preservation work.
Who they are: The Detroit Association of Colored Women’s Club was founded in 1921, a coalition of eight separate clubs founded and run by Black women that worked on social and welfare issues in the Black community. The club is still in operation as the Detroit Association of Women’s Club today, who more recently held a dog adoption event this past June.
What it does: The $75,000 History of Equal Rights (HER) Grant will be used to perform a historic structures report of the 110-year-old building, allowing the organization to move forward with building maintenance and preservation. The organization will also submit the building for an individual nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, the success of which would then allow for future funding opportunities from the NPS and philanthropic sources.
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