Howard University Investing $785M for On-Campus Buildings
By Keith Loria March 23, 2022 4:15 pm
reprints
Howard University has revealed plans for a $785 million investment as part of the largest construction real estate initiative in the Washington, D.C. institution’s history.
The money is aimed at the construction of three new state-of-the-art multidisciplinary academic halls, as well as the renovation of several existing structures, the university said.
The planned trio of academic centers, which will be earmarked $670 million of the investment, will consist of a 454,000-square-foot health sciences complex, a 432,000-square-foot science, technology, engineering, and mathematics center and a 215,000-square-foot center for arts and communications.
The buildings slated for upgrades are the historic Myrtilla Miner Building at 2565 Georgia Avenue, which will house the School of Education, and the Howard University Middle School for Mathematics and Science.
The historic investment is part of a phased Central Campus Master Plan that has been ongoing since 2020, designed for the long-term transformation of Howard’s main campus through capital improvements.
These efforts, the university noted, are possible due to enrollment growth, increased philanthropic and public investment in the university, as well as its efforts to build financial strength as outlined in its five-year strategic plan.
For instance, Howard University saw record-breaking fundraising totals last year, ending the 2021 fiscal year with $170 million in contributions, according to the university. So far in 2022, it’s on track to smash that number with $120 million in philanthropic commitments already, just six months into the fiscal year.
“This is a watershed moment in the history of our institution,” Wayne A. I. Frederick, president of Howard University, said in a prepared statement. “Because of the tremendously enhanced financial posture we have worked so hard to achieve, the state of the university has never been stronger.”
All construction is scheduled to begin later this year and is expected to be completed by 2026. No information was disclosed about what firm will be handling construction.
Representatives for Howard University were not immediately available to comment.
Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.
