Blackburn Center (Armour J. Blackburn University Center)

The Armour J. Blackburn University Center serves as the social hub of the University, providing an environment for cultural, recreational, leisure, and intellectual enrichment outside of the classroom. It bridges the gap between the university and community, serving as a conference site for many university activities, community events, national/regional conferences, business meetings, and lectures. The Blackburn Center also serves as the university's student union. The four level building has 126,000 square feet of space.

Blackburn houses a diverse array of facilities and venues, including:

• Blackburn Ballroom, and 80-by-140-foot ballroom which can hold 1,500 people
• Blackburn Digital Auditorium with a stage and 132 seats
• Meeting rooms, including the Truth Room, the Service Room, and The Forum, a semicircular room with seating for 76
• Student government offices
• Office of Student Life and Activities
• Dining Hall
• The Punch Out, a food court with multiple eateries
• Chik Fil' A
• Bowling Alley
• Outside decks facing The Yard and Douglass Hall as well as McMillan Reservoir 
• Hilltop Lounge
• Gallery Lounge
• Reading Lounge
• Vending machines

About the Building Name

The Blackburn Center is named for Armour J. Blackburn, a 1926 graduate of Howard University who served as the dean of students from 1949 to 1969 and oversaw the building's construction.

A Bridge Across and Beyond Statue 

"A Bridge Across and Beyond," created by American artist Richard Hunt, is an abstract bronze sculpture located outside Howard University's Blackburn Center. The piece features two large, pyramid-like forms that lean towards each other over a reflecting pool, symbolizing a bridge between Africa and African American descendants. Abstract African symbols connect the two forms, representing unity and heritage. The sculpture was donated by John Debrew, Jr., CEO of the Mildred Andrews Fund, as a tribute to his mother, Katie May Artis Debrew, and single mothers everywhere. 

Howard History

• Blackburn Center was dedicated on April 27, 1979
• The Blackburn Ballroom served as an international media filing room during the 2024 presidential election as presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris (B.A. '86) held her election night event on The Yard. The popular "The Breakfast Club" broadcast from the ballroom's balcony.
• Blackburn housed a VIP holding room for Kamala Harris' election night event on The Yard. Guests in the holding room included former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and actors Spike Lee and Don Cheedle.
• U.S. President Ronald Reagan spoke at a fundraiser for Howard in Blackburn Center on May 20, 1982 (watch video).
• Actors including Lance Gross and Keke Palmer participated on a "Howardwood" panel discussion in Blackburn on October 28, 2010.

> View More Campus Places
> View a Campus Map
> General Parking and Transportation Information
> View a Parking Map