Architecture News

The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015

By Miriam Sitz

<strong>A.G. Gaston Motel</strong><br />Birmingham, Alabama<br />During the days of segregation, the A.G. Gaston Motel was built as a place of luxury for minorities. It served as the setting for sever — The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
**A.G. Gaston Motel**
Birmingham, Alabama
During the days of segregation, the A.G. Gaston Motel was built as a place of luxury for minorities. It served as the setting for several important chapters of the Civil Rights movement, but has since fallen into disrepair.

Image courtesy City of Birmingham Archives

<strong>Carrollton Courthouse</strong><br />Architect: Henry Howard<br />New Orleans<br />The Carrollton Courthouse served as the Jefferson Parish government seat until New Orleans annexed the indepen — The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
**Carrollton Courthouse**
Architect: Henry Howard
New Orleans
The Carrollton Courthouse served as the Jefferson Parish government seat until New Orleans annexed the independent city in 1874. The building faced demolition in the 1950s but was saved by the efforts of the nonprofit Louisiana Landmarks Society. It housed schools from 1957 to 2013, including the first public high school in New Orleans to integrate in 1963. Today, the Orleans Parish School Board is preparing to sell the building without safeguards against demolition.
Photo © Jimmy S Emerson, DVM

<strong>Chautauqua Amphitheater</strong><br />Chautauqua, New York<br />Seventy miles southwest of Buffalo, New York, Chautauqua Amphitheater boasts 122 years of history as one of the nation’s f — The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
**Chautauqua Amphitheater**
Chautauqua, New York
Seventy miles southwest of Buffalo, New York, Chautauqua Amphitheater boasts 122 years of history as one of the nation’s first multipurpose retreat centers. The Amp, as it’s called, has hosted a range of programs over the years, from arts and music festivals to religious, social, and political gatherings. The building faces the threat of demolition to make way for new construction.

Photo © Jay A. Reeve

<strong>East Point Historic Civic Block</strong><br />East Point, Georgia<br />Since the 1930s, the block anchored by East Point City Hall, the city auditorium, the city library, and Victory Park has — The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
**East Point Historic Civic Block**
East Point, Georgia
Since the 1930s, the block anchored by East Point City Hall, the city auditorium, the city library, and Victory Park has made up the heart of downtown East Point, Georgia, a predominantly African-American community. The neglected buildings speak to the community’s Depression-era experience and now face the possibility of demolition.

Photo © Amanda Shoemaker

<strong>Fort Worth Stockyards</strong><br />Fort Worth, Texas<br />In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the livestock industry transformed Forth Worth from a small town to a major metropolitan c — The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
**Fort Worth Stockyards**
Fort Worth, Texas
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the livestock industry transformed Forth Worth from a small town to a major metropolitan center. The historic architecture and deep cultural ties draw more than three million visitors to the area annually, but plans to implement a $175 million redevelopment project in the stockyards historic district are threatening the integrity of the area.

Photo © John Roberts

<strong>Grand Canyon</strong><br />Grand Canyon, Arizona<br />One of the most iconic natural features of the American Southwest and a sacred site for many Native American tribes, the Grand Canyon face — The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
**Grand Canyon**
Grand Canyon, Arizona
One of the most iconic natural features of the American Southwest and a sacred site for many Native American tribes, the Grand Canyon faces numerous threats from mining and development proposals. In addition to disrupting the majesty of the national park, commercial endeavors could harm the aquifer running beneath and through the canyon.

Photo © Alan English

<strong>Little Havana</strong><br />Little Havana in Miami is the most well known Cuban-American enclave in the country, composed of residential blocks intersected by commercial streets. Shops and bus — The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
**Little Havana**
Little Havana in Miami is the most well known Cuban-American enclave in the country, composed of residential blocks intersected by commercial streets. Shops and businesses are situated within walking distance of bungalows, walk-up apartments, and courtyard apartments. The area faces threats from upzoning and from the lack of protection for its many historic buildings.

Photo © Steven Brooke Studios

<strong>Oak Flat</strong><br />Superior, Arizona<br />Situated some 60 miles east of Phoenix, Oak Flat is a natural area held sacred by San Carlos Apache and other Native American tribes. The site may — The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
**Oak Flat**
Superior, Arizona
Situated some 60 miles east of Phoenix, Oak Flat is a natural area held sacred by San Carlos Apache and other Native American tribes. The site may be opened up to mining because of a land exchange written into the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015.
Photo © Kevin Cassadore

<strong>Old U.S. Mint</strong><br />Architect: Alfred B. Mullett<br />San Francisco<br />Erected in 1874, the Old U.S. Mint remained standing after the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed much of — The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
**Old U.S. Mint**
Architect: Alfred B. Mullett
San Francisco
Erected in 1874, the Old U.S. Mint remained standing after the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed much of downtown San Francisco. Sitting just south of Market Street, the Old Mint is shuttered and deteriorating in the midst of new construction fueled by the area’s tech boom.

Photo © Sanfranman59 via Wikimedia Commons

<strong>South Street Seaport</strong><br />New York City<br />The South Street Seaport, situated along the East River and adjacent to the Financial District, is home to some of the oldest architecture — The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
**South Street Seaport**
New York City
The South Street Seaport, situated along the East River and adjacent to the Financial District, is home to some of the oldest architecture in New York City. Restored commercial buildings harken back to the heyday of maritime commercial trade in the 19th century. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Seaport is under threat from a series of development proposals.
Photo © Passer-by via Flickr

<strong>The Factory</strong><br />West Hollywood, California<br />Built in 1929, the Factory housed Mitchell Camera Corporation until the company moved to the suburbs in 1946. After a series of other — The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
**The Factory**
West Hollywood, California
Built in 1929, the Factory housed Mitchell Camera Corporation until the company moved to the suburbs in 1946. After a series of other occupants, the building reopened as Studio One, a pioneering gay disco, in 1974. Studio One became an important part of the gay rights movement, hosting one of the nation’s first major fundraisers in the early 1980s to address the AIDS epidemic. Today, the building faces demolition to make room for a large-scale hotel project.

Photo © Hunter Kerhart

The 11 Most Endangered Historic Places of 2015
Photo ©

Each year, the nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation publishes a list of the most endangered historic places in the United States. The 2015 list comprises 11 geographically and culturally diverse buildings, areas, and natural features.

More than 250 sites have been recognized since 1988, and the National Trust, along with local preservationists and community partners, has played a role in saving dozens of historical sites through this annual act.

Click on the slide show above to view the 2015 list.

Miriam Sitz was a staff writer and editor for Architectural Record from 2015 to 2020, during which time she served as the web editor, then senior news & web editor.