May, 2008
IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE:
11 Most Endangered Places 2008 - Announcing Our Newest National Trust Historic Site - Bid for Preservation in our E-Auction - Support the U.S. Forest Service in Saving Historic Places
2008's 11 MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACES
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This Month's Resource Highlight: This Month's Partner Resource: |
On May 20th in New York City, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the 2008 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places®, an annual list that highlights important examples of the nation’s architectural, cultural and natural heritage that are at risk for destruction or irreparable damage. The 21st annual list includes: California’s State Park System, whose budget has been repeatedly slashed and now faces $1.2 billion in deferred maintenance; Charity Hospital and adjacent neighborhood in New Orleans, where proposed development projects would abandon the currently closed (but reparable) hospital and would demolish 25 blocks with 200 homes to make way for two new hospital complexes; and New York’s Lower East Side, the neighborhood that embodies the history of immigration in America, that is steadily and irrevocably being erased by inappropriate development.
See the entire list, learn how you can help save these places, and view the 11 Most video (in partnership with The History Channel).
NEW NATIONAL TRUST HISTORIC SITE: THE HOTEL DE PARIS MUSEUM IN GEORGETOWN, COLORADO
During the Colorado mining boom, the Georgetown region was the most important source of silver in Colorado and briefly attracted so many residents that it was one of the most populous cities in the state. The Hotel de Paris operated as a hotel, boarding house, residence, restaurant, and showroom for traveling salesmen from the 1870s to the 1930s.
Visitors to the Hotel de Paris Museum can explore the restored bedrooms, restaurant, kitchen, salesrooms, and office through docent-led tours from late spring to the fall. A small exhibit gallery in the annex provides an overview of the history of the Hotel and its owners.
The Hotel de Paris Museum, our 29th National Trust Historic Site, is owned and operated by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in the State of Colorado. It is located about forty-five miles west of Denver along Interstate 70. Georgetown, CO, included on our 2003 Dozen Distinctive Destinations list, has one of the largest concentrations of Victorian buildings in the country. Nearby is the Georgetown Loop Railroad, a spectacular stretch of narrow gauge railroad that was considered an engineering marvel for its time, and Guanella Pass Scenic and Historic Byway, formerly an old wagon route that linked the mining towns of Georgetown and Grant.
PRESERVATION AUCTION
The National Trust for Historic Preservation celebrates Preservation Month in May with its fourth annual Preservation Auction. Bid on items such as luxury vacation getaways and special museum tours to art and autographed sports memorabilia all to benefit the work of the National Trust for Historic Preservation!
Your auction bid helps continue our work in the gulf coast region, empower neighborhoods to maintain their unique identity, uncover treasures of our diverse heritage, and raise awareness of the importance of preservation nationwide. Look at our list of items and bid today to support the National Trust for Historic Preservation and win something good for yourself!
U.S. FOREST SERVICE
Proposed site of Spaceport America in the Jornada del Muerto.
Credit: National Trust for Historic Preservation
Over three hundred thousand places of landmark historic or cultural significance, including Native American sacred sites and Revolutionary and Civil War battlefields, are at risk of ruin, according to the recently released report, The National Forest System: Cultural Resources at Risk, prepared by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and T. Destry Jarvis, former Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
Because historic and cultural resources are a low priority within the agency, and the Forest Service lacks the legal mandate and staff to protect them, the report strongly recommends that Congress should explicitly direct the Forest Service to manage national forests not only for timber and watersheds, but also for the protection of historic and cultural resources.
ACT NOW: Send a letter to Congress asking them to help save these historic and culturally significant places that help to tell our nation's story. Join with the U.S. Forest Service to save a historic place in a National Forest near you. The National Trust's Mountains/Plains Office has held volunteer work days with the Forest Service in Colorado, and is planning another for early September at Comanche National Grassland near La Junta, CO. To contact the Mountains/Plains Office about upcoming volunteer activities, send a message to mpro@nthp.org. You can also volunteer for a historic preservation project through the Forest Service's Passport in Time program.
