National Trust for Historic Preservation awards grant to Evans HHS

We are thrilled to announce that the Wilson Bruce Evans Home Historical Society has just been awarded a grant from the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation to support restoration of the entry hall of the Evans House. 

Plans call for restoring the entry hall’s historic woodwork, including the stairway, trim, double front doors with arched windows, and half-moon transom windows.  The concentration of extraordinary woodwork in the entry hall highlights the skills of Wilson Bruce Evans.  It bears witness to the achievements of a Black craftsman and entrepreneur who, in the 1870s, created an elegant addition to the home he had occupied since arriving in Oberlin in 1854, demonstrating the family’s genteel social standing in the wake of the Civil War.

In its announcement of the award, the National Trust called this preservation initiative “worthwhile,” adding that it hoped its financial commitment of $7,500 “will assist your organization in raising…additional funds needed for this effort.”  The full budget for the entry hall restoration is $30,000. 

The project will be advised by Emily Rebmann, Associate Archivist at Oberlin College.   Before coming to Oberlin, Ms. Rebman led the interior restoration of the Warren G. Harding Home and worked for the state of Ohio to plan historic interiors for sites including the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, the Benjamin Lundy House, and the John Johnston Farm.

The Evans Home Historical Society expects the construction phase of this rehabilitation to conclude in early fall 2026 and looks forward to opening the Evans House to visitors in late winter 2027.

For more information, please contact Executive Director Carol Lasser at carol.lasser@evanshhs.org