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| The 2016 11 Endangered Historic Places savingplaces.org |
Welcome to the new week on the blog. Today we are going to celebrate the 30th anniversary of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places (https://savingplaces.org/americas-most-endangered-historic-places). Since 1988, our friend at the National Trust for Historic Preservation publish a list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The list is meant to highlight places of American history that are endanger from natural and man-made threats. To mark the occasion the NTHP put out a retrospective list of saves that not only reflect America's rich history but also reflect the tireless efforts of the few, the proud, the dedicated individual who brought each place back from the edge.
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| Antietam National Battlefield Park Sharpsburg, Maryland nps.gov |
The Battle of Antietam is considered the bloodiest day in American history and signaled the end of the Confederate invasion of Maryland. Perhaps the most significant outcome of the Battle was it led President Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. The battlefield was threatened with highly inappropriate development in the form of a proposed shopping center and other developments. This prompted the NTHP to add Antietam to its premier list in 1988. Since being placed on the list, Antietam raised much needed funding to maintain the United States's best preserved Civil War battlefield. For more information go to https://savingplaces.org/stories/antietams-untold-history
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| Penn School Darrah Hall St. Helena Island, South Carolina Photograph by Bill Fitzpatrick savingplaces.org |
The Penn School (part of the Penn Center) was the first school established in the Southern U.S. specifically for the education of African Americans. The School, located on a former plantation, was founded 1862 and continued into the early fifties. Unfortunately, the Penn School never fully recovered after many of its students enlisted during World War II and post-war migration away from the area. Thanks to the publicity it received from being listed in the nineties, the Penn School raised the funds needed for repairs. Today, the school exists as a museum and special events center. Three cheers to former President Barack Obama, who included the Penn School as part of the Reconstruction Era National Monument on January 12, 2017. For more information go to: https://savingplaces.org/stories/after-the-slaves-were-freed-penn-center-and-the-port-royal-experiement
https://www.nps.gov/reer/index.htm
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| Historic Boston Theaters Boston, Massachusetts savingplaces.org |
Together with the rise of contemporary theaters in the early 20th century, the Boston Theater District flourished as the the epicenter of nightlife and the social scene. The district's three most important theaters: the Paramount Theater, the Modern Theater, and the Boston Opera House suffered from disrepair as a result of economic hard times. The district's addition to the 1995 list, Boston, nonprofits, developer, and others worked to together to rehabilitate and reopen the historic district as an arts and entertainment venue. This revitalized the surrounding neighborhood. In 2011, the National Trust gave the the theaters a Preservation Honor Award. For more information, go to: https://savingplaces.org/stories/historic-theaters-stories
https://savingplaces.org/stories/stories/10-tuesday-10-steps-restoring-historic-theaters
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| Little Rock Central High School Little Rock, Arkansas savingplaces.org |
The one-time largest high school in the nation, Little Rock Central High School entered Civil Rights history as the focal point of the Little Rock Integration Crisis in 1957. The high school was the first test of the Brown v. Board of Education when nine African American student (the "Little Rock Nine") were barred from entering the school in defiance of the Supreme Court ruling. In 1996, the school was added to the list, after years of deterioration. Two years later, the school was designated a National Historic Site, along with it associated partners, made all renovations for the school thrive once more. For more information, please go to: https://www.nps.gov/chsc/index.htm
https://savingplaces.org/stories/cutylove-little-rock-according-preservationist-jennifer-carman
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| Cathedral of St. Vibiana Los Angeles, California savingplaces.org |
Cathedral of St. Vibiana
The Cathedral was opened in 1876 after five years of construction. It continued to serve the Los Angeles Roman Catholic archdiocese through the 1990s when it was heavily damaged by the Northridge Earthquake (1994). This led the archdiocese to go ahead with plans to demolish it. These plans touched off a lengthy and successful legal; marking a defining moment for L.A. preservationists. In late 2000s the former cathedral, now known as Vibiana, found new life as an event and cultural center. For more information, please go to our friends at the Los Angeles Conservancy: http://www.laconservancy.org
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| Governors Island Manhattan, New York savingplaces.org |
Governors Island National Monument (https://savingplaces.org/places/governors-island-national-monument)
Governors Island has played a pivotal role throughout American history: from the Revolutionary War to serving as a U.S. Coast Guard installation during the 20th century. Governors was once the oldest, continuously used military post through the mid-nineties when it was targeted for closure by the President Bill Clinton administration. However, three cheers for Presidents Clinton George W. Bush, former New York Governor George Pataki, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg who joined together to save Governors Island and designate as a National Monument and public park in 2001, just four short year after making the list of 11 Endangered Sites. Today, the northern part of the island is open for public use. For more information, please check out https://www.nps.gov/gois/index.htm
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| Angel Island Immigration Station San Francisco, California savingplaces.org |
Ange; Island Immigration Station, often called the "Ellis Island of the West," was once the point of entry for immigrants from Pacifica-Asian countries between 1910 and 1940. After the Second World War, it was abandoned and fell into disrepair, until an eagle eye park ranger re-discovered lines of poetry carved and painted into the walls and floors. Since its listing, in 1999, the NTHP and the White House Millennium Council have recovered and preserved over 200 poems. In 2000, California voters passed an initiative to set aside money to complete repairs on the station. For more information, click on https://savingplaces.org/stories/explore-these-west-coast-asian-american-heritage-sites
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| Travelers' Rest Montana savingplaces.org |
Travelers' Rest
Inappropriate development and questions over the actual location of Travelers' Rest, the only archeologically verified Lewis and Clark campsite along the trail threatened the landmark in the mid-twentieth century. To spotlight this historic site, the NTHP listed it in 1999. The listing brought heightened awareness and spurred archeologist Dan Hall, the Mellon Foundation, The Conservation Fund, and the State of Montana into action. Travelers' Rest was designated a protected park in 2001. For more information, please go to http://stateparks.mt.gov/travelers-rest/
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| President Abraham Lincoln's Cottage Washington D.C. en.wikipedia.org |
President Lincoln's Cottage
Not exactly what comes to mind when you think of a cottage. Blogger supposes that compared to the White House, it is a cottage. That aside, this was the onetime summer home for President Abraham Lincoln and other presidents. Over time, the damaging effects of stress and use took their tool. The cottage was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973 but that did not prevent the presidential summer home from falling into severe disrepair with a seeping basement floor, rotting wood window frames, outdated plumbing and electricity. In 2000, President Clinton designated it a National Monument coinciding with its addition to the annual list. President Lincoln's Cottage was opened to visitors in 2008, thanks to a $15 million rehabilitation project spearheaded by the National Trust. For more information, click on the following links: https://savingplaces.org/places/lincolns-cottage
https://savingplaces.org/stories/veteran-connection-president-lincolns-cottage https://savingplaces.org/stories/the-courage-to-confront-our-past-the-lincoln-ideas-forum-2016 https://savingplaces.org/stories/president-lincolns-cottage-hosts-two-faces-comedy-series
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| Nine Mile Canyon Utah savingplaces.org |
Nine Mile Canyon
Look at the picture on the left and take a couple of minutes to fully appreciate the natural beauty of Nine Mile Canyon in Utah. Breathtaking. What makes this magnificent place even more stunning is that it features relics from the Ute people and Fremont culture going back 1,700 years-as well as more recent-isa historic sites from the 19th-century Buffalo Soldiers. Sadly, the Canyon came under recent threat from a chemical dust suppressant caused by daily automobile traffic coming through the area that was damaging the pictographs and petroglyphs. The Canyon was listed in 2004. Both the NYHP and the Nine Mile Canyon waged a successful campaign to raise awareness and increase visitor rates. Their efforts resulted in a fully paved road that goes through the entire canyon. If you would like more information, please go to:
https://utah.com/nine-mile-canyon
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/art/preserving-ancient-ruins-utahs-nine-mile-canyon/
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| The Statler Hilton Hotel Dallas, Texas savingplaces.org |
Mid-twentieth century modernism has been in the spotlight lately as buildings from the past 50 to 60 years are coming under consideration for landmark status. The Statler Hilton Hotel in Dallas, Texas is one such place. The Hotel is an example of the innovations typical of Modernism on a giant scale. Just its massive size, bold form, and novel architectural features made it an icon of mid-twentieth century design. The amenities: elevator music, roof-top pool, and televisions in every guest room were ahead of the time it was built. Sadly, this modern wonder sat vacant for many years and faced threats from the wrecking ball until developers wisely embarked on a $175 million renovation after the Hotel made the list in 2008. Good news, the repairs are almost complete and this modern gem will return to its rightful place in the sun. For more information, please go to
https://savingplaces.org/stories/pragmatic-preservation-in-an-economic-boom
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| Bears Ears National Monument Utah desertnews.com |
Bears Ears National Monument has been placed on the Trump Administration's review of national monuments created since 1996. Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke is looking for public input on Bears Ears. The National Trust needs your help. Bears Ears is home to a stunning collection of Native American cultural and archeological sites. They include:hunting camps, cliff dwellings, prehistoric villages, petroglyphs and pictographs dating back to the Ice Age. While Bears Ears may not be as bold faced as Arches, Zion, or Canyonlands National Parks, the resources are an abundant treasure trove. If you would like to submit comments, please go to http://www.regulations.gov and enter DOI-2017-0002 before May 26. You may also mail your comments to Monument Review MS-1530, U.S. Department of Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington D.C. 20240.
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