America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2016

America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2016

Since 1988, the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) has been identifying historically and culturally significant areas around the U.S. that are at risk of disappearing completely. Its intention has been to bring awareness to at-risk places in order to increase urgency and support for their preservation. This year highlights 11 sites that are each threatened in different ways, with an emphasis on urban areas in dire need of conservation efforts. In the past 29 years, the NTHP has helped save 270 sites, losing just less than five percent. From the effects of climate change to the threats of demolition, 2016's focused sites add to NTHP's expanding list of jeopardized locations that could be lost forever if action isn't taken.

Lions Municipal Golf Course in Austin, Texas

Affectionately called "Muny," this civil rights landmark was the first municipal golf course that desegregated its players in 1951. The property's lease, jointly held by the City of Austin and the University of Texas, is now in limbo and could be the new site for commercial properties.
Azikiwe-Nkrumah Hall at Lincoln University in Lincoln, Pa.
Built in 1865, it is the oldest building on the Lincoln University campus—the first institution to grant degrees for higher education to male African American students. The now vacant and crumbling structure "faces an uncertain future," according to the NTHP.
Bears Ears in Southeastern Utah
This natural and national treasure holds 12,000 years of human history within its grounds. The 1.9-million-acre site is "home to cliff dwellings, prehistoric villages, and rock art panels of ancestral Puebloan peoples, as well as Ice Age hunting camps," according to the Grand Canyon Trust.

Charleston Naval Hospital Historic District in North Charleston, S.C.
As a pivotal Naval base during both World War I and II, this district served to treat injured soldiers coming back from Europe. Five of this historic district's buildings are now threatened with demolition in order to make way for a new rail line.

Delta Queen in Houma, La.
Built in 1925, Delta Queen is the last steam paddle-wheeler with overnight accommodations still running. Fans and preservationists continue to seek exemption from the Safety of Life at Sea Act , an international maritime treaty, in order for the steamboat to remain operational.

El Paso’s Chihuahuita and El Segundo Barrio Neighborhoods in El Paso, Texas
Both historic neighborhoods, known as the "Ellis Island of the Border," have played major roles in the cultivation of El Paso's cultural identity, which has a history of immigration. Now, homes and small businesses alike are faced with potential demolition plans due to lack of protection.

Historic Downtown Flemington in Flemington, N.J.
Home to the Union Hotel, built in 1877, the building served as the epicenter of the infamous Lindebergh Baby trial of 1935 as it was where press, officials, and individuals related to the trial were served. The town also houses three other buildings listed on the National Register of Historic places that could be demolished in favor for an 8-story mixed-use structure.

James River in James City County, Va.
The state of Virginia's largest river, once home to America's first permanent English settlement in 1607, could lose its picturesque charm due to a transmission line project by private utility company, Dominion Virginia Power.
Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee, Wis.
A jewel of Mid-century Modern architecture, these three domes each host different climates from around the world, as well as house flora fauna. The tropical and flower show domes are currently open to the public (with the desert dome expected to reopen in the next few weeks), but a special Mitchell Park Domes Task Force will help determine what comes next for these stunning structures, which are in need of significant repairs.
Embarcadero in San Francisco, Calif.
The famous port of San Francisco is another coastal setting fallen victim to the globe's biggest danger: climate change. The earthquake-prone area also requires a stronger seawall to secure effective coastal resilience.
The Sunshine Mile in Tucson, Ariz.
Abundant in Mid-century Modern architecture, this two-mile-long stretch of quirky commercial buildings are now faced with possible demolition plans in order to make way for a city transportation project—a sad outcome for a street that once aimed to symbolize the "American Dream."