America's Most Endangered Places 2010
Eleven historic sites in danger of being lost forever
In a report released in 2010, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (www.nationaltrust.org ) listed 11 historic sites across America that are in danger of being lost forever. Whether these sites are urban districts or rural landscapes, Native American landmarks or 20th-century sports arenas, entire communities or single buildings, the list spotlights historic places across America that are threatened by neglect, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.
Although the listing does not mean that a site will automatically receive protection or funding, it does draw attention to the problem and helps garner support for preservation efforts. Just two months after the Zuni Salt Lake and Sanctuary Zone appeared on the 2003 list, the Board of Salt River Project voted to abandon its plans for strip mining coal.
The National Trust has identified hundreds of endangered historic places since 1988. Here are the sites that were chosen for the 2010 list.
1. America's State Parks and State-Owned Historic Sites : This year nearly 30 states have experienced cuts to parks’ and sites’ budgets, and a recent survey estimates as many as 400 state parks could close.
2. Black Mountain, Lynch & Benham, Ky.: Eastern Kentucky's rugged Black Mountain, the highest peak in the Bluegrass State, faces the threat of multiple surface and deep mining permits—a move that would be tremendously harmful to the mountain's natural beauty as well as the area's fragile ecology and growing tourism industry.
3. Hinchliffe Stadium, Paterson, N.J.: Overlooking the Great Falls National Historical Park, Hinchliffe Stadium is one of only three remaining Negro League stadiums in the country. Due to lack of funds and neglect, the stadium stands vacant and dilapidated, a victim of the elements, arson, and vandalism.
4. Industrial Arts Building, Lincoln, Nebr.: The iconic Industrial Arts Building, an important part of agricultural and aviation history, is now owned by the University of Nebraska, whose plans for an elaborate research park includes demolition of the old building.
5. Juana Briones House, Palo Alto, Calif.: Named a California State Historic Landmark more than 50 years ago, the Briones site—original home of pioneering landowner, rancher, entrepreneur, and healer Juana Briones—was once open to the public and a popular destination for elementary school students. Today it is abandoned, deteriorated, exposed to the elements, and threatened by demolition.
6. Merritt Parkway, Fairfield County, Conn.: The "Gateway to New England" was created as an outgrowth of the City Beautiful Movement, a progressive architectural and urban planning reform movement popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, due to overcrowding and insensitive repairs, the parkway's original artistic 66 bridges and thoughtfully planned greenscapes are threatened.
7. Metropolitan AME Church, Washington, D.C.: Structurally compromised due to surrounding urban growth, the national cathedral of African Methodism is in need of an 11-million-dollar rehabilitation—a sum that lies beyond the reach of its congregants.
8. Pågat, Yigo, Guam.: One of the island's last remaining and best preserved Chamorro (native peoples) settlements, Pågat is being threatened by military expansion on Guam.
9. Saugatuck Dunes, Saugatuck, Mich.: The 2,500 acres that comprise the Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Area boast a sparsely-developed landscape of spectacular beach, rare freshwater dunes, water, woods and wetlands; this cultural landscape and pristine viewshed is now threatened by a proposed 400-acre residential development, including marina, hotel, restaurant and retail complex -- all prohibited by local zoning laws.
10. Threefoot Building, Meridian, Miss.: The Art Deco Queen of Meridian continues to deteriorate, and locals fear that her next date may be with the wrecking ball.
11. Wilderness Battlefield, Orange & Spotsylvania Counties, Va.: In an area known for its rolling landscapes and distant Blue Ridge Mountain views, Walmart intends to construct 240,000 square feet of "big box" commercial sprawl within the historic boundaries of Wilderness Battlefield, hallowed ground which witnessed the first meeting of legendary Civil War generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant.
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