The Myrtilla Miner Building stands as a powerful symbol of educational courage and conviction. Constructed in the early 1900s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the building honors Myrtilla Miner, a pioneering 19th-century educator who founded one of the earliest institutions dedicated to educating Black women and preparing them to become teachers at a time when such opportunities were rare and often resisted.
Miner’s vision was radical for its time. She believed that educating Black women was not only an act of justice, but a strategic investment in communities. Educated women would become teachers. Teachers would shape generations. And generations would shape the future.
More than a century later, that vision still holds true.
Today, Howard University is restoring and modernizing the Miner Building as part of its ambitious campus development plan. The renovated facility will serve as a shared, collaborative space for the Howard University School of Education and the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science, a public charter school. Once again, the building will bring together aspiring educators and young scholars under one roof.
Building Hope, a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening education through facilities, financing, and operational support, is proud to partner with Howard University in this transformational effort.
Howard University
A Beacon of Opportunity and Leadership
Founded in 1867 in Washington, D.C., shortly after the Civil War, Howard University was established to educate and train newly emancipated Black physicians, teachers, ministers, and leaders. From its inception, Howard has represented access, excellence, and empowerment.
Over more than 150 years, the university has produced some of the most influential leaders in American history, including Thurgood Marshall, Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Howard University has long been a launching pad for women leaders who redefine what is possible. From classrooms to courtrooms to the White House, women educated in spaces like Howard have shaped national policy, literature, justice, and culture. The restoration of the Miner Building honors not only a structure, but the legacy of women whose leadership continues to ripple across generations.
As one of the nation’s most prestigious historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Howard plays an outsized role in advancing educational and economic mobility. HBCUs represent a small percentage of U.S. colleges and universities, yet they produce a significant share of Black professionals across medicine, law, STEM, and education.
Howard is also deeply rooted in cultural legacy. The first Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, was founded on its campus in 1908, underscoring the university’s longstanding commitment to scholarship, sisterhood, and service.
“HBCUs are among the top educators of Black teachers in the U.S. public school system,” said Building Hope President of Real Estate Dru Damico. “Building Hope is proud to support Howard University as it restores the Myrtilla Miner Building to its original purpose, educating future teachers and the next generation of leaders.”
The Miner Building
Preserving History. Preparing the Future.
Originally known as the Miner Normal School, the building was part of Washington, D.C.’s public school system and played a historic role in establishing teacher-training programs for Black educators. It became a major source of teachers and administrators for segregated public schools throughout Washington, D.C., and across the South.
In 1929, the Miner Normal School was renamed Miner Teachers College and accredited by the U.S. Congress. For more than seven decades, it trained generations of Black teachers who would go on to shape classrooms and communities.
Teaching has long been one of the most accessible and influential professions for women, particularly Black women, whose leadership in classrooms has often gone underrecognized but never unfelt. For generations, women trained in spaces like the Miner Teachers College became the backbone of educational advancement in Washington, D.C., and beyond.
By restoring the Miner Building to its original purpose, Howard University and Building Hope are reinforcing the role of women as architects of opportunity. They are not only preserving a historic structure, they are honoring the women who built communities through education and investing in the next generation who will continue that work.
The restoration preserves the building’s early Colonial Revival architectural details, including tall arched windows, grand staircases, and limestone corridor features. At the same time, it introduces modern learning environments designed for collaboration and innovation.
The updated facility includes:
“I am incredibly honored to be part of the historic renovation of the Miner Building,” said Building Hope Director of Real Estate Justin Little. “This project is not just about preserving a structure. It is about preserving a legacy, reinforcing educational equity, and creating a brighter future.”
Building Hope’s Role
For Building Hope, this partnership represents more than a construction project.
For more than two decades, Building Hope has worked at the intersection of education and real estate, ensuring that high-quality schools have access to the facilities, financing, and strategic support they need to thrive. What began as a charter school facilities organization has grown into a broader mission: strengthening education ecosystems through thoughtful development, capital solutions, and long-term partnerships.
The Miner Building restoration reflects that evolution.
By helping bring together Howard University’s School of Education and a public charter middle school under one roof, Building Hope is supporting a powerful model. Aspiring teachers learn alongside practicing educators and engaged students. Preparation meets practice. Legacy meets innovation.
It is an ecosystem approach grounded in equity and access, one that aligns with Building Hope’s expanding commitment to supporting HBCUs, charter schools, private schools, and community-centered institutions across the country.
The renovation of the Myrtilla Miner Building is a testament to what happens when legacy and vision meet.
Howard University is honoring its past while investing boldly in the future of teacher preparation and student achievement. Building Hope is proud to stand beside the university as a trusted partner, helping ensure that the building once again fulfills its original vision: preparing educators who will change lives.
More than a century after Myrtilla Miner first championed education as a pathway to opportunity, her belief endures. Educate women. Prepare teachers. Strengthen communities. Shape the future.
And in the restored halls of the Miner Building, that vision will live on.
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