A multi-million dollar grant will restore the Florence C. Benson Elementary School buildings in Columbia.
The schools closed in 1975 after previously being part of the state's so-called separate but equal system to avoid racial integration in schools. The buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 and are now receiving a four-point-25-million-dollar Historic Preservation Fund's African American Civil Rights grant.
The funding will allow USC to replace the roof, fix drainage issues, install fire alarm systems, replace ceilings lighting carpet and paint, and make the restrooms ADA compliant.