GIBSONVILLE, N.C. — A group of dormitory buildings at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum have been named on the list of America's 11 most endangered historic places.
The campus is a museum and state historic site that allows visitors to explore a unique environment where African American youth lived and learned during the 20th century.
Staff at the museum say the dormitories are unsafe to enter due to severe storm damage and years of disuse.
“Some of the broken glass up there is the roped-off area," Liz Melendez, assistant site manager said. "And you can kind of see some of the ceiling tiles that have fallen due to water damage.”
Their goal is to bring attention to the historic site.
"The dormitories really served as a social development space for students of palmer," Melendez said. "Which is an important part of North Carolina's history, of the Black history of our educational history here."
Melendez says they're working now to get the roof on one of the dorms repaired. After that, they'll get rid of the toxic materials inside all three buildings.
In the future, the goal is to reach out to the community to figure out the best use for the space.