Carver Hall, one of N.C. A&T’s oldest buildings, is poised to show off its new makeover—one that increases its face value and provides a more functional environment for students and faculty. The improvements will be formally celebrated by the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4. Carver is located at the intersection of Sullivan and Lindsay streets, and is one of the gateways into campus.
Renovations at Carver during the past several months include a new patio plaza with seating, at the front of the building, and a first-floor classroom that was transformed into a student lounge with new furniture. The new amenities are accessible to physically disabled people, and round out a series of improvement projects performed on Carver Hall over the last few years that include upgrading a class for smart-classroom technology.
The one-time headquarters for the college’s dean and administrative offices, Carver now houses faculty from the departments of Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education; Natural Resources and Environmental Design, and Family and Consumer Sciences.
Named for pioneering African-American agricultural scientist George Washington Carver, Carver Hall was among the buildings constructed as part of historic growth at A&T in 1955. The other facilities constructed during the mid-century building boom were Cooper Hall, Campbell Hall, Ward Hall and the first Bluford Library (now the Fort IRC building).
Carver Hall still has the original metal placard in the main hallway of the building with the names of Dr. Carver, faculty, staff and trustees from decades ago. The history of Carver Hall is captured by Aggie historian Dr. Albert Spruill, in his book The Historic Tour of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Many agricultural materials from Carver Hall had also been put on public display as part of the “Better Living in North Carolina” digital collection, a collaboration between A&T and North Carolina State University.
