The National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced its 2010 list of the 11 most-endangered historic places in the U.S.
• America’s State Parks and State-Owned Historic Sites: Citing “deep funding cuts and uncertain futures,” the trust notes that although all 50 states are at risk, at least 26 are facing “major” budget cuts.
• Black Mountain, Kentucky: At the foot of the Bluegrass State’s highest peak, two historic mining towns—Benham and Lynch—are trying to create a future beyond coal.
• Hinchliff Stadium, New Jersey: In Paterson, one of three remaining Negro League stadiums sits empty and in disrepair.
• Industrial Arts Building, Nebraska: A 1913 exposition space built to celebrate the city of Lincoln’s agricultural output, this 93,000-square-foot structure has been vacant since 2004.
• Juana Briones House, California: Built in 1844, this Palo Alto home is an important part of California’s early Spanish and Mexican heritage. Once open to the public, it has been abandoned for many years.
• Merritt Parkway, Connecticut: The 37.5-mile-long “Gateway to New England,” constructed 70 years ago, is celebrated for its collection of bridges in a variety of architectural styles.
• Metropolitan AME Church, Washington, D.C.: This Victorian Gothic-style building, finished in 1886, has played a role in the nation’s most important civil rights struggles.
• Pagat, Guam: The westernmost U.S. territory in the Pacific is home to a cultural site that dates back thousands of years and includes prehistoric structural stone foundations.
• Saugatuck Dunes, Michigan: The 2,500 acres of this coastal area is the habitat for several endangered species and contains a number of significant historic and archaeological sites.
• Threefoot Building, Mississippi: When it was built in 1930, the 16-story Art Deco tower in Meridian was the state’s tallest building.
• Wilderness Battlefield, Virginia: Walmart is threatening to plow under this historic Civil War battlefield, where 28,000 Union and Confederate troops died over the course of two days in 1864.
