National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places

National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places
Name	National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places
Formation	1988
Purpose	Historic preservation advocacy and public awareness
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	President
Leader name	Paul Edmondson

National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places is an annual list compiled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to draw national attention to threatened historic sites in the United States. Launched in 1988 during the tenure of leaders such as J. Paul Getty-era philanthropies and preservation advocates connected to institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the Library of Congress, the program spotlights properties vulnerable to demolition, neglect, or insensitive development. The list has become a focal point for partnerships among organizations including the National Park Service, World Monuments Fund, American Institute of Architects, and municipal preservation commissions.

Overview

The 11 Most Endangered Places program highlights a cross-section of American heritage, ranging from historic districts such as Tulsa's Greenwood District to industrial sites like the Bethlehem Steel complex and cultural landmarks such as the Abyssinian Meeting House and Dinosaur National Monument-adjacent sites. The initiative intersects with federal statutes and programs like the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register of Historic Places, and tax incentives such as the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives administered by the National Park Service and the Internal Revenue Service. The list often mobilizes stakeholders including preservation nonprofits like Preservation Maryland, municipal governments such as the City of Baltimore, philanthropic foundations like the Kresge Foundation, and academic partners at universities such as Columbia University and University of Virginia.

Criteria and Selection Process

Nominees are submitted by citizens, preservation groups, and public officials and are evaluated by staff at the National Trust for Historic Preservation alongside experts from organizations such as the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the American Alliance of Museums, and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Criteria include historic significance reflected by association with figures like Frederick Douglass, architectural merit comparable to works by Frank Lloyd Wright or Louis Sullivan, community value akin to Juneteenth-era sites, and immediate threat from forces such as development pressures exemplified by projects like Atlantic Yards or natural hazards as in the Hurricane Katrina impact zone. Consideration also involves potential for viable preservation solutions using tools like easements held by organizations such as The Trust for Public Land and funding mechanisms used by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Annual Lists by Year

Each annual list reflects both nationwide trends and specific crises; for example, the 1990s lists included industrial decay in places like Pittsburgh and Detroit, while post-2005 lists emphasized disaster recovery for locales affected by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy. Recent lists have encompassed sites connected to social movements, including properties tied to Labor Day-era strikes and locations associated with Civil Rights Movement leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Yearly selections have brought attention to urban sites such as Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963)-era preservation debates, rural landscapes like Blackwell Farm-style properties, and Native American heritage sites associated with tribes such as the Cherokee Nation and Navajo Nation.

Notable Sites and Case Studies

Case studies include the rescue efforts for the Emlen Physick Estate, campaigns to save the Haleakala-adjacent cultural landscapes in partnership with organizations like The Nature Conservancy, and the multi-stakeholder preservation of industrial complexes comparable to The Armory Show-era adaptive reuse projects. Other emblematic listings include the effort to protect African Meeting House-type structures, maritime heritage exemplified by the USS Arizona, and landscapes such as the Homestead Act-era farmsteads. The list has also featured modernist architecture by firms like Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and reinforced attention to sites linked to figures including Harriet Tubman, Langston Hughes, and Alexander Hamilton.

Preservation Efforts and Outcomes

Outcomes vary: successful interventions have employed mechanisms like historic tax credits used in projects comparable to the rehabilitation of Fisher Building (Detroit) and public–private partnerships modeled on the reuse of Lowell National Historical Park. Collaborative efforts have engaged federal agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency for disaster mitigation, state historic preservation offices (SHPOs) mirroring work in Virginia Department of Historic Resources, and local groups such as Boston Landmarks Commission. Some campaigns resulted in National Historic Landmark designation analogous to sites honored by the National Historic Landmarks Program, while others secured conservation easements with organizations like Open Space Institute.

Criticisms and Controversies

The program has faced critiques from stakeholders in contexts similar to debates over urban renewal and high-profile controversies like the demolition of Penn Station (New York City), with commentators pointing to tensions among preservationists, developers such as Related Companies, and municipal authorities including New York City Department of Buildings. Critics argue that selection can prioritize iconic sites over vernacular resources important to communities represented by organizations like National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Others contend that reliance on mechanisms like tax credits favors projects in states with strong SHPOs such as California Office of Historic Preservation and Texas Historical Commission, potentially disadvantaging rural or under-resourced areas including regions represented by the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Category:Historic preservation in the United States