The National Trust for Historic Preservation once again is sounding the alarm to spur preservation of some of the country’s most imperiled places. The Trust’s list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places includes Nine Mile Canyon, called “the world’s longest art gallery” for its 10,000 Native American rock-art images, which is threatened by plans for extensive oil and gas exploration; 2 Columbus Circle bordering New York City’s Central Park; and the entire state of Vermont, with its “historic villages, winding back roads, spectacular mountain vistas,” which is “once again besieged by the onslaught of big-box retail development.”

“From factories that defined a nation to the home of a racehorse that inspired generations, from rural archaeological sites to big-city high rises, from individual landmarks to entire neighborhoods, historic places tell us who we are as a nation,” says Richard Moe, Hon. AIA, president of the National Trust. “They constitute an epic cultural narrative whose chapters include not only world-famous icons but hidden treasures. Unless all of us become aware of the importance of our heritage and take action to preserve it, America’s past won’t have a future.”

The sites on the 2004 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places are:

2 Columbus Circle, New York City. Designed by Edward Durell Stone, this Manhattan building has been controversial since it was completed in 1964. If the new owner carries out its planned renovations, the building will lose the distinctive features that have made it an icon of Modern design. Photo © Kate Wood, Landmark West.

Ridgewood Ranch, Home of Seabiscuit, Willits, Calif. The final home and resting place of Seabiscuit, one of America’s most famous horses, this ranch is now owned by a church association that lacks the resources to stabilize and maintain the 20-plus historic buildings that still stand.

Bethlehem Steel Plant, Bethlehem, Pa. This complex played a major role in the development of America’s steel industry, was the site of many technological advances, and provided steel for some of the nation’s best-known structures, but now it lies dormant and threatened with demolition.

Elkmont Historic District, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tenn. This collection of modest wood structures suffers from abandonment, inadequate maintenance, and vandalism. Some park advocates favor demolishing the buildings—which are listed in the National Register—to return the land to its “natural” state. Photo © Patrick McIntyre, Executive Director, Tennessee Preservation Trust.

Gullah/Geechee Coast, S.C. and Ga. This stretch of coastline is the homeland of descendants of slaves who have managed to retain a distinctive culture, tradition, and language. Long protected by its relative isolation, the area now is being overrun by sprawling new resorts, subdivisions, and strip malls.

Tobacco Barns of Southern Maryland. A state-sponsored buyout has encouraged many farmers to abandon tobacco farming, the long-time mainstay of the region’s agricultural economy, and many historic barns have been abandoned or are being demolished.

Madison-Lenox Hotel, Detroit. The city’s landmarks commission has refused to grant a demolition permit for this three-building complex that could be rehabbed as the centerpiece of a burgeoning inner-city area, but the owner still wants to demolish it for a parking lot.

Historic Cook County Hospital, Chicago. The setting or inspiration for numerous films and TV shows, this historic hospital could be converted to housing and help bring vitality to its neighborhood. Instead, it is slated for demolition at a cost to taxpayers of $30 million. Photo © Graham Balkany.

George Kraigher House, Brownsville, Tex. This 1937 house by famed architect Richard Neutra has stood vacant for several years and gradually is being destroyed by weather, neglect, and vandalism.

Nine Mile Canyon, Carbon and Duchesne counties, Utah. Sometimes called “the world’s longest art gallery” because it encompasses an estimated 10,000 petroglyphs and pictographs, this site is threatened by extensive oil and gas exploration plans recently approved by the federal Bureau of Land Management.

The State of Vermont. The State of Vermont appeared on the Trust’s 1993 list because it faced an onslaught of big-box retail development. Today, the threat is worse than ever, with Wal-Mart planning to saturate the state with seven new superstores that are likely to spur additional development, sprawl, disinvestment in downtowns, the loss of locally owned businesses, and the erosion of the state’s unique sense of place. Photo © Sanders H. Milens.

Success stories
The America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places program has identified more than 160 threatened one-of-a-kind historic treasures since 1988. On September 3, The History Channel will focus on two sites formerly on the endangered that now are being restored through the Trust’s “Save Our History” program. In St. Augustine, Fla., the Bridge of Lions was saved after a 25-year battle when the Florida Department of Transportation decided to rehabilitate the historic 1927 bridge instead of tearing it down. The Mediterranean-style bridge appeared on the National Trust’s 1997 list. In Arizona, a Zuni Salt Lake and Sanctuary Zone was spared from being turned into a strip mine for coal just two months after it appeared on the 2003 list.

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