A Highway, a Train and a Shul
March/April Issue of Preservation Magazine Focuses on Diverse Ways That America’s Story is Being Preserved
Posted February 22, 2008 | Contact pr@nthp.org or 202-588-6141
Washington, D.C. (February 15, 2008) – From a long-forgotten synagogue on New York's Lower East Side, to a century-old Pennsylvania railroad, to Route 66 in the American West, the latest issue of Preservation magazine chronicles some of the diverse and fascinating ways that the American cultural story is being preserved.
Articles in the March/April issue of Preservation include:
A New Look at America's Fabled Mother Road
Stretching from Chicago to L.A., legendary Route 66 once represented the optimism of post-war America with modern motels and neon lights. But the same car culture that made it popular also led to its downfall, with the advent of the interstate highway system Last year, the National Trust placed Route 66's motels on its list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. An evocative photo essay by Pulitzer Prize-winner Edward Keating, with an introductory essay by Ann Beattie, captures the bleakness, the beauty, and a few glimmers of hope along Route 66.
Diamond in the Rough: Rediscovering a Stunning Synagogue on the Lower East Side
As the Jewish population of Manhattan's Lower East Side dwindled in the '50s and '60s, one of its most remarkable landmarks languished—empty, all but forgotten, and in bad need of repair. Now the Eldridge Street Synagogue has emerged from a remarkable 20-year restoration. Writer Diane Cole chronicles the history of the synagogue, its restoration, and its reopening last December as a museum dedicated to the story of the Eastern European immigrants who built it.
End of the Line for a Storied Train?
Since it was built in 1874 to haul coal and iron ore from deep underneath Broad Top Mountain, Pennsylvania's East Broad Top Railroad has been in continuous operation. Though it has hauled tourists rather than minerals since 1960, the sound and smell of its steam engine locomotive continues to transport passengers back to an era when steam engines were the backbone of the American transportation industry. Now, funding shortfalls and maintenance costs have the rail line's loyal followers searching for a plan to make sure the East Broad Top steams on to a bright future.
The Fight to Preserve Public Lands in the West
Canyon of the Ancients is a National Monument in Colorado that has perhaps the highest density of cultural resources in the nation—an average of 100 per square mile—including ancient wall art and artifacts like pots and tools. Preservation Associate Editor Krista Walton explains the enormous challenges the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) confronts in attempting to preserve these resources, including the staggering fact that a single BLM ranger is responsible for looking after some two million acres.
Mining Threatens Historic Colorado Town of Crested Butte
Crested Butte, one of the most scenic destinations in Colorado, sits adjacent to one of the world's richest deposits of molybdenum, a mineral used to strengthen metal alloys. Local residents have beaten back the mining companies thrice before, but with the global price of molybdenum skyrocketing to $30 per pound from $3 in 2001, mining companies and their allies are again threatening to turn this bucolic setting into an environmentally hazardous mining operation.
Review of "Julius Shulman: Palm Springs"
Julius Shulman, the preeminent photographer of California modernist architecture, has a new book which focuses on icons of Southern California modernism, including Richard Neutra's Kaufmann House and Albert Frey's Raymond Loewy House. The book is reviewed by Amanda Kolson Hurley.
Preservation, the award-winning magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, examines the many ways in which Americans seek to safeguard and enjoy their architectural and cultural heritage. A bimonthly, four-color publication, as well as a daily online news source on preservation issues, Preservation offers features, essays, book reviews, and reporting on places and people who treasure those places.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, nine regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories. For more information visit www.PreservationNation.org.
