For the first time in its eight-year history, the World Monuments Watch list for 2004 encompasses sites on all seven continents, from ancient palaces in Iraq to an early 20th-century explorer’s hut in Antarctica, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis Brown House in California, and historic lower Manhattan. The 100 places on this year’s endangered list, say officials from the World Monuments Fund, reflect a broad geography and cultural scope, giving wide definition to the term “cultural-heritage monument.”

“The World Monuments Watch program identifies a stunning range of endangered sites and brings them to the attention of the public, preservation professionals, and local governments,” says WMF President Bonnie Burnham. In addition to the first site in Antarctica, the 2004 Watch list features for the first time sites in Australia, Ecuador, Finland, the Palestine Territories, Paraguay, Slovenia, South Africa, Taiwan, and Trinidad and Tobago. In addition to the sites in Australia and Antarctica, the list comprises 33 places in Europe, 16 in Asia, 18 in Africa and the Middle East, and 31 in the Americas. WMF officials say designation as an endangered site brings more exposure to the plight of the site and often helps bring funding and expert attention to the effort to save it. The Watch list is published biennially and sponsored by American Express.

Modern architecture theme
“A theme that emerged from the 2002 list was Modern architecture, and that is even more notable on this list. Most people associate historic preservation with buildings that are hundreds of years old and are surprised to see buildings constructed during their lifetimes on the list. But modern architecture is now a part of the spectrum of cultural heritage,” says John Stubbs, WMF vice president of programs. He notes that the 2004 list includes several 20th century buildings of variety of types, such as London’s Battersea Power Station on the Thames. The power station was “quite controversial” when it was built, he says, but is now stands as one of the city’s most cherished spaces, “popularly recognized as a masterpiece of industrial architecture and an example of a well-designed civic building.”

The Watch list also includes Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis Brown House in Los Angeles, the largest of four textile block houses that test the architect’s theories of organic architecture. The house features decomposed granite blocks from the site, so that the exterior matches the color and texture of the surrounding hills. The house has 27 art-glass windows, all of which remain in situ. Officials note, however, that the very materials Wright used to build the house have contributed to its deterioration and that structural damage from the 1994 Northridge earthquake has only compounded the problems. Support from local foundations and state funding, as well as federal emergency funds, has helped the Trust for Preservation of Cultural Heritage secure the services of Eric Lloyd Wright and a team of specialists to help rehabilitate and preserve the weakened concrete blocks, but a great deal more money is needed to complete seismic retrofitting and stabilize the house.

Historic Lower Manhattan, which was added to the 2001 list as a special 101st site, continues on this year’s roll, with its more than 65 landmark buildings in six historic districts. “Together, its buildings chronicle the evolution of American architecture and, in many ways, the United States itself over a 375-year period,” Burnham says. The listing is intended to call attention to the importance of the historic sites as the planning and redevelopment process goes forward.

—Tracy Ostroff

Copyright 2003 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved. Home Page