Washington - The National Trust for Historic Preservation is accepting nominations for its 2008 America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list. The list is issued annually to raise awareness of historic sites at risk from neglect, deterioration, lack of maintenance, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy. Since its founding, the endangered list has been one of the nation's most successful tools in the fight to save America's irreplaceable architectural, cultural, and natural heritage.
"The America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list has been a powerful wake-up call, alerting people to treasures in trouble and rousing efforts to save them," says Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "This list has helped save some very significant pieces of our nation's heritage, and we're extremely proud of that fact-but past successes are not enough. Important historic sites are still in danger, and we must continue to protect the places that tell America's story."
The list has brought national attention to 189 significant buildings, sites and landscapes. At times, that attention has garnered public support to quickly rescue a treasured landmark; while in other instances, it has been the impetus of a long battle to save an important piece of our history. The America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places list has been so successful in educating the public about the importance of preserving our nation's history that more than 35 states now publish their own lists of endangered historic places.
Among the many sites that have been listed are Historic Neighborhoods of New Orleans; Ellis Island in New York Harbor; the Kennecott Copper Mines in Alaska; Bethlehem Steel Plant in Bethlehem, PA; the World Trade Center Vesey Street Survivors' Staircase; and "The Journey Through Hallowed Ground" Corridor in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Each represents preservation challenges facing thousands of communities. Descriptions of all the 11 Most Endangered listings can be found at www.nationaltrust.org/11most/list.asp.
To ensure that the most threatened sites are chosen, the National Trust uses three primary criteria to determine the 11 finalists: significance, urgency, and potential solutions. For more information about the application process and to download the application, visit www.nationaltrust.org/11most/nominate.html or call 202-588-6141. Nominations should be received by Friday, December 14, 2007, but will be accepted until Friday, January 4, 2008. The 2008 list will be announced in May.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to saving historic places and revitalizing America's communities. Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the Trust was founded in 1949 and provides leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to protect the irreplaceable places that tell America's story. Staff at the Washington, D.C. headquarters, six regional offices and 28 historic sites work with the Trust's 270,000 members and thousands of preservation groups in all 50 states. For more information, visit the Trust's Web site at www.nationaltrust.org.
