Where Women Made History Updates

A Coalition of Support

Since the listing, a project team composed of predominantly women architects, designers, and planners from RAMSA, along with National Trust staff from Where Women Made History, HOPE (Hands-on Preservation Experience) Crew, and the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, have been meeting with leadership at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum, Palmer Alumni, and the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Our goal was to understand the needs and condition of the 12 buildings and the central landscape, and their potential to be rehabilitated and reactivated to achieve the State staff’s compelling vision for the campus as a center of Black community, public events, and learning that carries on the legacy of Charlotte Hawkins Brown.

In 2024, to reinforce this work and support the future of the site, the Action Fund awarded Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum at the Historic Palmer Memorial Institute $75,000 for Endowment Project Planning.

Both the team and the project are grounded in a deep respect for the legacy and achievements of Charlotte Hawkins Brown and the many students, alumni, and heirs who shaped the campus and its history. Over the next 3-4 months the RAMSA team members will consult with the NC State staff and National Trust staff to create a master plan for the main campus, which will highlight and enhance that legacy by positioning the Palmer campus and historic site to become a vibrant center of education, research, training, and events for learners of all ages and interests.

Their work will include assessing the potential to undertake practical rehabilitation projects to achieve the desired uses in the existing buildings and landscapes. This will include written recommendations for a phasing strategy to establish near-term and long-term priority projects. They also will create compelling visuals (building plans, landscape plans, space plans, rendering, etc.) of specific projects and proposed uses that will assist the State staff, administration, alumni, donors, stakeholders, and community members in envisioning the proposed projects and their positive impact on the Palmer campus and its operations.