USA’s National Trust for Historic Preservation has published its annual list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. In its 36 years, the nonprofit continues to be a powerful tool for historic preservation.
The 2023 list reflects American diversity as well as the organization’s continuous effort to save places that tell the full American story but haven’t always received the attention they deserve.
National Trust’s chief preservation officer Katherine Malone-France said, “The most endangered historic places list looks like America. It tells our layered and interconnected stories. Each site on it, of course, is a powerful place in its own right. But I think there are also common themes, like creativity and entrepreneurship, perseverance, cultural exchange.”
This year’s theme of the list highlights multicultural communities that grew in parallel with a specific place now face cultural erasure. Some places like community landmarks, local businesses, restaurants, customs, and traditions that people have treasured are slowly disappearing.
For those of you who live in the US, particularly in states mentioned on the list, here are 4 places that you should stop by and support.
West Bank of St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana
This 11-mile corridor along the Mississippi River in St. John the Baptist Parish is a cultural landscape amidst an area filled with heavy industry. The National Park Service is considering the area for National Historic Landmark designation.
The West Bank has historic villages such as Lucy, Edgard, and Wallace, which was founded after the Civil War by Black soldiers who fought in the Union Army. And, descendants of people enslaved at nearby Whitney Plantation and Evergreen Plantation still call this place home and has helped maintain the culture and community.
However, port facility Greenfield Louisiana LLC has applied a permit to build one of the largest grain elevators in the world directly within this historic cultural landscape.
Should they get the permit, the proposed Greenfield Terminal could tower over historic communities and buildings, disturb archaeological remains, and dramatically harm the St. John Parish community with negative visual and environmental impacts. Furthermore, it could also encourage further heavy industrial development within this nationally significant historic area.
For over a year, local and national advocates as well as many descendants of people enslaved in the area have tried to stop Greenfield Terminal’s construction. Advocates hope that public support will increase pressure and draw national attention to this area’s undeniable history, culture, and significance.
Century and Consumers Buildings, Chicago, Illinois
About a hundred years ago, two skyscrapers were built along Chicago’s historic State Street: The Century and Consumers Buildings. The Century Building was designed in 1915 by Holabird & Roche, while the Consumers Building was designed by Jenney, Mundie & Jensen in 1913.
Both buildings have contributed to the architectural significance of the area known as “The Loop,” but they’ve been vacant since 2005. The General Services Administration (GSA) bought them for potential federal office space, but then it decided that the buildings are no longer needed for that purpose.
We know what happens to a tall building that’s been left alone for around a century. Well, double that for this case. GSA is considering demolishing both historic buildings to address security concerns with the adjacent Dirksen Federal Courthouse.
There’s hope, fortunately. The GSA has formally begun federally mandated reviews to weigh options for the Century and Consumers Buildings along with several organizations including the National Trust, Landmarks Illinois, and other concerned parties.
Osterman Gas Station, Peach Springs, Arizona
Back in the day, people who traveled along the one and only Route 66 would certainly come across the Osterman Gas Station. Built in 1929, this gas station has been more than a place to sell gas and service vehicles; it’s been the focal point of the Hualapai Tribal community for almost a century.
Constructed by hand, the building sits at the center of Peach Springs, the site of many memories for Hualapai elders who used to work or hang out at the gas station in their youth.
Unfortunately, when the interstate system was built, economic development began to bypass Route 66 and Peach Springs, and, the gas station was sadly closed. But in order to preserve the place, the Hualapai Tribe bought the building.
There were plans to continue preserving and make use of the Osterman Gas Station, but then the pandemic hit, stopping the efforts. Since then, extreme weather continues to threaten the deteriorated building, including an intense microburst in 2021 and a February 2023 windstorm that collapsed one of the concrete walls.
Now that the pandemic is declared over, the Hualapai Tribe’s Planning Department is working on plans to revitalize the Osterman as well as reactivating the downtown Peach Springs master planning process.
Charleston’s Historic Neighborhoods, South Carolina
Since the early 18th century, Union Pier has been used for maritime shipping and port operations. Back then, around the waterfront site, merchants would trade goods such as rice, indigo, and cotton. The pier was also a significant point of first arrival for thousands of enslaved people.
Later, Union Pier’s docks served as home base for the African American-led fleet of fishing boats known as the Charleston Mosquito Fleet, which caught and sold fresh fish to homes and markets starting before the Civil War and lasting until 1989.
Today, South Carolina Ports Authority (SC Ports) owns Union Pier and serves as a cruise terminal and supports other maritime operations. With a private development firm, SC Ports is proposing a mixed-use district on the Union Pier site.
The proposed plan could leave a negative impact on the historic city’s fine-grained urban character while also blocking views between the nationally significant historic district and the Cooper River waterfront.
Many are trying to defend the continued existence of Union Pier, including the Preservation Society of Charleston, Historic Charleston Foundation, and the South Carolina Coastal Conservation League.
Together, they form a coalition that’s encouraging the City and SC Ports to follow a deliberative review process that serves the public’s needs, beginning with a community-led vision, especially given the scale of this proposed development.
Advocates believe that a more robust, inclusive community visioning process is critical to help create a plan for Union Pier that respects Charleston’s significant history, diverse population, and architectural character, while improving the city’s climate resilience.
The seven others
To come up with this list, the organization first received nominations from the public, reviewed it, and narrowed down the list to eleven sites. “Each site offers an opportunity to engage with our shared history where it happened and inspires us to work together to honor each other’s experiences and contributions to our country,” Malone-France said.
Aside from the 4 mentioned places above, here are America’s 7 other most endangered historic places:
- Little Santo Domingo, Miami, Florida
- Pierce Chapel African Cemetery, Midland, Georgia
- Holy Aid and Comfort Spiritual Church, New Orleans, Louisiana (aka Perseverance Benevolent and Mutual Aid Society Hall)
- L.V. Hull Home and Studio, Kosciusko, Mississippi
- Henry Ossawa Tanner House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia Chinatown, Pennsylvania
- Seattle Chinatown-International District, Washington
“The layered stories behind these places illustrate the complexities and challenges that have always been part of what it means to be American, but that have not always received the attention they deserve. Losing any of them would diminish us all,” said Jay Clemens, interim president and CEO of the National Trust, in a statement.
Sources
https://savingplaces.org/stories/11-most-endangered-historic-places-2023
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/11-endangered-sites-list-2023-180982156/
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