The Annual Most 11 Endangered Historic Places List

http://www.preservationnation.org

Hello Everyone:

Every year, usually at year's end, people and organizations put lists of the top ten, one hundred, et cetera best and worst of something or another.  The National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington D.C. is no exception.  Amend that, a slight a exception.  Every June the NTHP puts out a list of eleven sites it considers in danger of being demolished.  The sites are not just boldface places but mostly smaller lesser known sites that would've escaped notice had not a citizen's grass roots movement called attention to it.  This year's list features a full range of places from the boldface to the vernacular.  Rather than give you a long-winded description of each place, I'll give you a short description and tell you why they were picked.

Worldport Terminal at JFK Airport
archpaper.com

First up is the Worldport Terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport in Jamaica, New York, which is threatened with demolition.  A beauty isn't she.  A real testament to the optimism and glamour of the mid-century jet-age.  This monument to America's entry into the jet-age is known for its flying saucer appearance and has been featured in several Hollywood movies.  It so reeks of Mad Men.  The first commercial flights of the then first "modern" aircraft, the Boeing 707, departed from this terminal. In May of this year, Delta Airlines ceased operations from this terminal, renamed Terminal Three.  Currently, the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey plan to raze it.

Historical Schoolhouses of Montana
distinctlymontana.com

Next on our list are the Historic Rural Schoolhouses of the state of Montana, which are threatened with lack of funding for upkeep.  Kind of reminds you of Little House on The Prairie doesn't it?  In addition to bison, Montana has the distinction of having an abundance of historic rural one- and two-schoolhouses still in operation.  There is at least one of these iconic schoolhouses in each of the fifty-six counties in the state.  The families that farmed the land in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries relied on these schools to educated their children, since traveling vast distances to the nearest cities was impossible.  So kids, no complaining about having to walk to school o.k.

Gay Head Lighthouse
history.com

The Gay Head Lighthouse in Aquinnah, Massachusetts is one of those icons that come to mind when you think of New England.  The lighthouse is currently threatened with erosion. It was the first lighthouse built on Martha's Vineyard and the first to receive a first order Fresnel lens in 1856.  Many men (yes men, sorry ladies) in the Aquinnah community, including members of the Wampanoag tribe, worked at the lighthouse.  Located on top of the National Natural Gay Head Cliffs, the lighthouse serves as a beacon to the tribe and is the only lighthouse with a history of Native American keepers.  It's the lighthouse of our dreams.

Mountain View Black Officer's Club
radio.azpm.org

The Mountain View Black Officer's Club in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, built in 1942, remains one of the most significant examples of World War II-period military service clubs built specifically for African-Americans officers.  The club is currently threatened with demolition.  This building is an example of the American military's response to the "separate but equal" laws in the early twentieth century, begun in large-scale at Fort Huachuca.  I believe that's important to have reminders of a nation's dark past to serve as a lesson for the present and future.  This country has had a very shameful history of racism and bigotry, that is still pervasive.  By preserving this building and other reminders of the dark past we can hopefully move forward into the future when all people, regardless of who they are or where they come from, will be valued.

Kake Cannery
visitkake.com

Stop for a minute and admire the scenery.  Breathtaking isn't it?  The rising sun, the boats going out for the day's fishing, makes you want just sit there and take it all in.  You'd better hurry because the Kake Cannery in Kake, Alaska is currently threatened with deterioration due to high winds and heavy snow loads.  Located in the remote village of Kake, the Cannery is only one of a few listed as an NHL (National Historic Landmark not National Hockey League).  It is a large complex consisting of several wooden buildings sited on land held in trust by the Organized Village of Kake, a federally recognized Native American Tribe.  The cannery play an important role in the development of the Alaskan salmon-canning industry during the first half of the twentieth century.  The cannery attracted many foreign workers and was known for its multi-ethnic, yet segregated workforce.

Abyssinian Meeting House
twctv.net

The African-American churches have played a historic role in the Civil Rights Movement and continue to serve an important function in the communities today.  I would like to recommend the book The American Future by Simon Schama (http://www.amazon.com) for a wonderful and concise account of the role of the churches.  Located in Portland, Maine, the Abyssinian Meeting House was built in 1828 and is currently threatened with lack of funding.  This modest house of worship has great historic significance to the people of Maine.  It served as school for the African-American children and a stop on the Underground Railroad.  It is the third oldest-standing African-American meeting house in America.

The Astrodome
h4-entertainment.com

Now that we're deep into Baseball season, it seems fitting that a monument to sports be placed on the list of endangered sites.  The Astrodome, home to the Houston Astros Baseball team in Houston, Texas is the world's first domed, indoor, air-conditioned stadium.  Air conditioning is a very necessary requirement in the American Southwest and Southeast.  The stadium is currently threatened with demolition.  The Astrodome was called the "Eighth Wonder of the World" when it opened in 1965.  It is symbolic of the city's entrepreneurial and space-age development as a major American city.  For many years, the American football team, the Oilers, called the Astrodome home.  It has also been the site of other sports events and political conventions.

Village of Mariemont
mariemontlifestyle.com

Where do you think this Tudor-style building is?  If you said Stratford-Upon-Avon, you'd be wrong.  It's in Mariemont, Ohio and is considered one of America's most picturesques communities.  The village was designed between 1921 and 1925 by well-known landscape architect and planner John Nolan.  Here's an interesting bit of architectural trivia, there are no Tudor-style buildings in England. This is a uniquely American invention.  Mairemont is considered an important examples of town planning and named a "Top 10 Great Neighborhood in America" by the American Planning Association in 2008.  It is currently threatened by road construction.  The elegant layout of the town continues to inspire planners and designers.

The James River
historicaltrailcycling.com

You can just feel the history.  The James River in James City, Virginia seems to just ooze with the sights and sounds of the history that took place in it and around it.  It should, because along the banks of the river, the settlement of Jamestown was founded in 1607.  A visitor can actually trace the route that Captain John Smith took on the only National Park Service (http://www.nps.gov) water trail.  Currently, the trail is threatened with inappropriate development.

San Jose Church
wmf.org

Isn't this a lovely old church?  Reminds you of the California Missions or the churches in Arizona or New Mexico.  Actually it's the San Jose Church in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Puerto Rico is actually not a state, it's a territory of the United States and its residents are American citizens.  San Jose Church was built in 1532, a century before the Pilgrims established the first permanent colony in New England.  It is one of the few surviving examples of Spanish Gothic architecture in the Western hemisphere.  The church currently is threatened with deterioration due to neglect and the environment.

Rancho Cucamonga Chinatown House
dailymail.co.uk

Looks like some ramshackle building in the middle of neighborhood right?  Not exactly.  The Rancho Cucamonga Chinatown House, in Rancho Cucamonga, California, is a two-story brick building that provided housing and a general store for about fifty Chinese American Laborers.  In the nineteenth century, Chinese men were encouraged to come to California to work in the fields and help build the railroads.  Slowly, the Chinese built a thriving community.  Unfortunately, the were also victims of some of the vicious and violent racism.  If you'd like to find out more, I'd highly recommend Kevin Starr's magnificent multi-volume history of California series.  The building was built in 1919 in the vernacular style and designated a City Landmark in 1985.  It is currently threatened with demolition.  The townhouse is a testament to the once thriving Chinese community that help build Rancho Cucamonga.

As you can see from these eleven examples, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is making a genuine effort to broaden the scope of preservation.  There are two interesting things to pay attention to.  First, is the inclusion of two buildings, the Astrodome and Worldport both examples of mid-century modernism, second, the inclusion of vernacular buildings.  This, to me indicates the recognition of 1) the post-World War II modern heritage and 2) the sites that have been very integral to building communities.  It's not true that America doesn't value it's historic sites, as evidenced by this annual list.  Often, it takes the efforts of grassroots campaigns to get people to notice places that would've gone undetected.  These buildings and many more represent American history.  Historic sights are the testament of a nation.

If you'd like to learn more please go to http://www.preservationnation.org.

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