World Monuments Fund Lists 10 Most Endangered U.S. Landmarks
The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has introduced Irreplaceable America, which emphasizes the preservation of 10 significant U.S. landmarks ahead of the 250th anniversary of independence. An independent jury reviewed 75 nominations, selecting sites based on their cultural importance and the urgency of their preservation needs. Among the highlighted locations are the 17th-century Acoma and Laguna missions in New Mexico, threatened by water damage; Boston's African Meeting House (1806), endangered by changes from the National Park Service; and I.M. Pei's Dallas City Hall, which requires $345 million in repairs. Other notable sites include Black Mountain College's Studies Building, Watts Towers in Los Angeles, Bartram's Garden in Philadelphia, colonial structures in Newport, Rhode Island, New Orleans, Dayton Aviation Sites in Ohio, and a 19th-century hospital on Roosevelt Island. The WMF has provided advocacy and support, contributing over $125 million to nearly 350 sites.
Key facts
- World Monuments Fund launched Irreplaceable America initiative highlighting 10 at-risk U.S. landmarks.
- The list was compiled from 75 nominees by an independent jury of historians, architects, and heritage experts.
- Sites include Acoma and Laguna missions in New Mexico, African Meeting House in Boston, Dallas City Hall, Black Mountain College Studies Building, Watts Towers, Bartram's Garden, Newport colonial buildings, New Orleans historic city, Dayton Aviation Sites, and Roosevelt Island hospital.
- Dallas City Hall repair costs estimated at $345 million.
- African Meeting House is the oldest surviving Black church in the U.S., built in 1806.
- Black Mountain College Studies Building hosted Josef and Anni Albers, Willem de Kooning, and John Cage.
- WMF has contributed over $125 million to nearly 350 highlighted sites.
- Jon Buono emphasized heritage is nonrenewable.
Entities
Artists
- I.M. Pei
- Lawrence Kocher
- Josef Albers
- Anni Albers
- Willem de Kooning
- John Cage
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Ruth Asawa
- Kenneth Noland
- Sabato Rodia
- Frederick Douglass
- Maria Stewart
- Matthew Crawford
- Jon Buono
- Simon Rodia
- Cy Twombly
- Merce Cunningham
- Walter Gropius
- A. Lawrence Kocher
- James Renwick Jr.
- Wilbur Wright
- Orville Wright
- I. M. Pei
- James Renwick, Jr.
- Charles A. Birnbaum
- Charles L. Davis
- Francisco Uviña‑Contreras
- Paul Goldberger
- Elizabeth MacMillan
- Bénédicte de Montlaur
- Wright brothers
Institutions
- World Monuments Fund
- Museum of African American History
- National Park Service
- Black Mountain College
- New England Anti-Slavery Society
- Artnet News
- Watts Towers Arts Center
- Black Mountain College Studies Building Foundation
- Knoll
- Architectus
- United Nations
- African Meeting House
- San Esteban del Rey
- San José de Laguna
- Black Mountain College Studies Building
- Dallas City Hall
- Watts Towers
- U.S. National Park Service
- Smithsonian Institution
- The Cultural Landscape Foundation
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of New Mexico
- National Museum of American History
- Dallas Morning News
- Shawmut Design and Construction
- Newport Restoration Foundation
- National Aviation Heritage Area
- Doconomo North Texas
- Boston African Meeting House
- Times-Picayune
Locations
- United States
- New Mexico
- Acoma
- Laguna
- Boston
- Massachusetts
- Texas
- Dallas
- Dallas City Hall
- North Carolina
- Black Mountain College
- Los Angeles
- California
- Watts Towers
- Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania
- Bartram's Garden
- Newport
- Rhode Island
- New Orleans
- Louisiana
- Dayton
- Ohio
- Dayton Aviation Sites
- New York
- Roosevelt Island
- New York City
- Albuquerque
- Acoma Pueblo
- Laguna Pueblo
- Mount Rushmore
- South Dakota
- Chaco Canyon
- Washington DC
- Yellowstone
- Addis Ababa
- Ethiopia
- Iran
- Lebanon
- Asheville
- Black Mountain
- Germany
- Potomac River
- Washington D.C.