Rethinking Preservation

We believe that designing for the modern world begins with honoring the precedents of the past. So we joined forces with Sub-Zero to conceive a contest dedicated to rethinking preservation and you delivered! We received dozens of entries and now it’s time to vote! Here’s how it works. We post for popular vote and a panel of judges selects the winner from the top ten that receive the most votes. We’ll donate $10,000 to a worthy preservation organization and the winning architectural do-gooder receives a wine storage unit from Sub-Zero. To get in the preservation spirit read our special digital issue Rethinking Preservation presented by Sub-Zero.

(in no particular order)

Fishtown Preservation Society - Fishtown (Leland), MI

Fishtown is an historic fishing village in the little tourist town of Leland. Thanks to the generous support from individuals and foundations, Fishtown Preservation Society was able to acquire Fishtown and keep it's historic integrity instead of having it demolished and become condos. Fishtown continues to have many commercial fishermen along with numerous tourist charters, which is great for our local ec…
Israel Stowell Temperance House

The Israel Stowell Temperance House was built in 1840 in Delavan, Wisconsin, and is in dire need of restoration. This landmark needs to be restored to educate future generations about the early temperance movement. In 1836, two brothers from New York came to the Wisconsin Territory to develop a temperance colony in an attempt to spread the temperance movement. In 1840, Israel Stowell was contracted to bu…
1838 Peter Augustus Jay House

The 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House is a magnificent example of the Greek Revival architectural style. It was the residence of the descendants of Founding Father John Jay as well as their freed slaves. Today it is an educational center for programs in American History, Environmental Stewardship, and African American Heritage. Once slated for demolition, it was left open to the ravages of vandalism but a group…
Tacoma Old City Hall

This icon is in trouble. I mean in BIG trouble. See, historic structures in this city have a nasty habit of getting rendered into surface parking lots. Sucks so much ass it could run for President under the GOP ticket. Seriously! Look at these links! "Building inspector's report shows more work needed at 'derelict' Old City Hall" http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&…
Little Rock's Main Street

Main Street Little Rock, Arkansas represents a well-known story. In its heyday, it was filled with department stores, restaurants and offices. It was the center of commerce, close to government, and had architecturally renowned buildings. Arkansas’s history can be connected to Main Street for generations. Today, there are a handful of businesses along the street supported by loyal locals, but most forme…
Balboa Park (NHL) 1915-1935

Current redevelopment plans for Balboa Park will desecrate and change forever the 1915 National Historic Landmark (NHL). The current proposal is extremely destructive and would forever alter the iconic entry, Cabrillo Bridge and the historic landscape. This NHL, by architect Bertrum Goodhue with its spectacular Spanish Colonial architecture and landscapes would be transformed into an unmemorable suburban of…
Wirth House Art House

The historic Brooklyn Centre neighborhood has a great arts organization with the potential to be a catalyst for redevelopment. Art House in Cleveland has a quonset hut building with kilns that it uses to provide studio time for local artists and programming for k-12 school students. See: http://www.arthouseinc.org/ The front two buildings are currently vacant, but could provide attractive frontage for …
Historic Dallas Elementary and Middle Schools

Several Dallas Elementary and Middle Schools (11 to be exact) are slated to be closed for the next school year. The Dallas Independent School District, which has a history of closing historic schools, sites budget cuts, increased building costs and struggling enrollment as the main reasons for the closure of the schools. Unfortunately, these schools are extremely important and valuable, not just from an arc…
The Surf Ballroom

On February 3, 1959, the morning after their performance at the Surf, the three rock & roll icons, along with pilot Roger Peterson died in a plane crash just a few miles away... “You're going to Iowa for what?” After being asked that question, often sarcastically, numerous times following our explanation for our planned visit, we decided to give up on telling the truth. “We are visiting an o…
Redwood City Car Wash

If iconic structures that are so evocative of an era, such a this car wash, are not preserved El Camino Real in northern CA will lose all its charm and end up looking like just another strip mall.
The Buckhorn Baths

Mesa’s only mineral hot springs and spa. Home to a museum featuring the largest collection of preserved Arizona wildlife. The giant assemblage of Indian metates built into decorative walls. The cradle of Arizona’s Cactus League baseball. These and other exceptional attributes make the 15-acre Buckhorn Bath’s one of the nation’s most unique historic sites. With the death of its co-founder in 2010, this prop…
Historic Pullman, Town, Hotel, Neighborhood!

Historic Pullman is a VERY VERY large part of America's history. Labor in America/Unions started here back in the late 1800's. Today the original Town that George Pullman built for his workers is still active in Chicago's landscape, The Clock Tower, The Green Stone Church, The Florence Hotel, The entire Neighborhood, Architure at its best !! Many more pictures available.
Wayne train station

The town of Wayne Illinois as recently undertaken the restoration of the historic train station in town . The station was relocated from the grounds of the Dunham castle estate and placed back in its original location along the tracks in downtown Wayne. The move was facilitated thanks to donations of individuals foundations and local businesses. The preservation and resoration is moving along but much more …
1933 World's Fair House of Tomorrow

The House of Tomorrow was one of five homes showcased at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, themed "A Century of Progress," to demonstrate new building techniques and products as well as portray what a modern home would look and operate like in the future. After the Fair ended the homes where shipped by barge, by Robert Bartlett, to Indiana to rest in what is now Beverly Shores, an area that was to become a…
Casa della Pianista

This is an amazing old house on Lake Garda, North of Italy. The owner only left one floor in it's original status and I would like to keep it the way it is, keep the history fo these 200 year old, REAL walls alive.
Portland Custom House

The Portland Custom House [1901] was designed in the Office of James Knox Taylor , Architect of the US Treasury. The style of the Building was inspired by English Renaissance Buildings of the 17th and 18th Century. Technically this Building's Architecture is Italian Renaissance Revival. It was designated an Historic Landmark By the City Council in 1970 , and Listed on The National Register of Historic Pla…
Old City Jail, Charleston, SC

I would like to nominate the Old City Jail (http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/charleston/old.htm) in Charleston, SC. Not only is this 1802 stone building rich in history, but it also houses the American College of the Building Arts (http://www.buildingartscollege.us/). This school is dedicated to the art & skills of working stone, plaster, iron, and wood essential to restoration projects. I had the privilege …
California Gold Rush Treassure

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Gamble Building in Big Oak Flat, California is considered one of the largest and finest examples of an 1852 California gold-rush stone building still standing. The building served as the center of commerce in Big Oak Flat during the hay-day of the California Gold Rush and was one of only two surviving structures after a catastrophic fire in 1863 that …
Lawrence, Kansas, Santa Fe Station

The Lawrence, Kansas, Santa Fe Station (Amtrak/ BNSF depot), constructed in 1955, is a prime example of 1950s Midwestern Modern style. Architect graduates of the local University of Kansas, Warren Corman and Warren Jones, designed the building in keeping with the times – sleek, efficient, and technologically advanced. Its design consists of two rectangles of light brown brick and glass that are attached en…
keeping taliesin alive.....

Upon moving to the midwest a year and a half ago I found myself searching for a home in the spirit of Frank Lloyd Wright. I found myself lucky to purchase an amazing home by Madison Architect William Kaeser. It became so clear to me the design of our home was so inspired by the amazing ever changing estate and original school of Frank Lloyd Wright, Taliesin. His home captures his genius through changes h…
USS Yorktown

The USS Yorktown at Patriots Point in Mt. Pleasant, SC is home to the Medal of Honor museum. I am not an expert by any means but I know the ship was the 10th aircraft carrier to serve in the Navy and I know it and the other ships at Patriots Point need major restoration. What better way to honor our servicemen?
From Church to House to History House

In 2008 Tye and Sandy Schwalbe won an award for their adaptive restoration of this 1912 Greek Revival Style Christian Science Church in La Crosse, WI. It was their home until they donated it to the La Crosse County Historical Society, to become our home, in 2011. LCHS is now planning how to renovate it into an exhibition and programming space that will continue to preserve its unique period elegance and spa…
Historic First Baptist Church

The historic First Baptist Church is an Italian Gothic design built in 1929. In 1984 a fire gutted the interior and destroyed most of the roof leaving the exterior walls and the landmark bell tower standing. The building was saved from demolition in 1992 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places by former Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard. Terry founded the nonprofit Housing Opportunity Center (…
The Homeplace

This home was built in the mid 1800's and my grandfather purchased it in early 1950's. It is located on approx 100 acre farmland in southeast Kentucky. There is a log barn that is on the property as well. This homeplace has lots of potential for preservation and restoration and unfortunately I do not have the funds to even begin the project. The home has hand hewn logs and so much history. This land was …
A Timely Link: Westbeth and "The Village"

Westbeth is a historic artist housing community in Greenwich Village. The modern building has a fascinating history as a telephone company that once had an actual train track with trains running through it. Westbeth was created to provide artists with an affordable place to live and work together. It is artist run and managed, mostly. Over time it has become a mecca for world-renowned artists, exhibits …
Baranov Museum- Kodiak, Alaska (oldest western style building in Alaska)

The Baranov Museum Building was originally constructed as a fur warehouse by the Russian America Company during the height of the sea otter fur trade period sometime around 1795. The date is approximate, because it is referred to in the journal of the manager, Alexander Baranov, after he moved operations from a previous site to the present site of the city of Kodiak.The building passed to the Alaska Commerc…
Alexander Black House becoming a community Cultural Center

In 1750, Samuel Black purchased 650 acres, which was inherited by his sons, a portion of which was set aside to establish the town of Blacksburg, Virginia in 1798. The presence of the Black family continued through the great-great grandson of Samuel Black, Alexander Black, who resided in the town until his death in 1935. His home still stands, awaiting restoration to become the Alexander Black House and Cu…
Save Prentice!

Prentice Women’s Hospital, built 1974-1975 located at 333 East Superior Street: This historic structure is threatened due to ownership by Northwestern University who has intentions of demolishing the building for a new medical research facility. Prentice Hospital was designed by Bertrand Goldberg, one of Chicago’s most iconic, and iconoclastic, modern architects. Best known for his world-famous Marina Cit…
Design Center - Campus of Goddard College

The Design Building on the campus of Goddard College was built in 1971 by students, led by visionary architects David Sellers and John Mallery, as the first home of the Goddard Design Program, and the first institutional home of the nascent design / build movement. Constructed for less than $40,000, the structure made ample use of found materials - note the many sizes and shapes of windows - and was the fi…
The Brooklyn Lyceum

The Brooklyn Lyceum, designed by Raymond F. Almirall as the 7th of public bathhouses in 1910, provided the largest indoor pool in the City and showers for 200 people (with separate entrances for men and women). The 3,600 square foot brick layered building was abandoned in the 1970's and remained vacant and dilapidated until 2000. It now is a space providing local community events, primarily for children. …
Rufus Cage Elementary School

The Rufus Elementary School was built in 1910. The first teachers and students liveried their horses on the first floor and then climbed the stairs to their classes in the floors above. Prior to 1936 the stables were renovated into a cafeteria nd restrooms. The building housed the school until 1983 when a new school was built blocks away. It is located in the historic eastend of Houston where it has become …
Francis Ermatinger House

When it comes to Oregon history, it doesn't get much more significant than the Ermatinger House. In 1845, Francis Ermatinger built for himself a federal style residence in what is now downtown Oregon City. Ermatinger was a powerful and influential figure in early Oregon history, serving as a chief trader for the Hudson's Bay Company, and holding public office in the Oregon Provisional Government in 1845.…
Old City Hall in Tacoma

Modeled after Italian Renaissance town halls, the 1893 structure features fine brickwork and terracotta ornamentation. The distinctive clock was added to the tower in 1904. The building first housed the Chamber of Commerce and was then occupied by the City which moved out in 1959. In the early 1980s, the structure was rehabilitated to house shops, restaurants and offices. In 2005, the iconic building was …
Toby tent show

Years before the WPA’s Federal Theatre Project, the tent show with its later addition of a popular character, Toby, was a major theatrical force that was responsible for keeping rural theatre alive. From the turn of the twentieth century through the nineteen thirties, the most prevalent form of rural American popular entertainment represents an integral chapter of American theatre history; a facet of theat…
Buckhorn Baths Mesa, Arizona

The business opened as a service station in 1926 on US Highway 60, the Apache Trail. During expansion of the establishment in the 1930s, the owners discovered a mineral well on the property, and constructed Roman-style bathhouses and guesthouses for visitors. In the 1940s the baths played a role in bringing the New York Giants spring training camp to Mesa, leading to the eventual establishment of Mesa as a …
Dallas High School

Dallas High School is the city’s oldest high school building and was built in 1907. The building was in use up until the 1980's and has since been abandoned until just recently. There is now a commuter rail station at the entrance of the building and the area has developed into a major arts hub for the City of Dallas. The current owners have recently redeveloped a factory at the Mockingbird rail station int…
Preservation of the Historic Forest Lodge: An Important Example of Modern Architecture in Southern Arizona

The 1937 Residence for Margaret Howard, Countess of Suffolk, was a groundbreaking and pioneering example of Modern architecture in southern Arizona. The considerable scale, famous owner, and progressive design brought national recognitions. The largely intact home, currently owned and occupied by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, remains historically significant, though in need of significant r…
Saving Taos Pueblo

Taos Pueblo has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site, but unlike many world landmarks for whom this designation proffers a near-guarantee of preservation, Taos Pueblo has not been so lucky. If you step even 20 feet off the main tourist areas, you'll find entire sections where you can see every floor as the sidewalls have deteriorated so badly, and in such large sections, that the newly-formed school for …
Open-Air Mail

Saint Petersburg, Florida has a gem that is often overlooked. Located at 400 First Avenue North in St. Petersburg, Florida, this is the only open-air post office in the USA. Dedicated in 1916, this stunner ushered in the Mediterranean Revival architectural style that later dominated St. Petersburg. George W. Stuart being the architect who brought Postmaster Roy Hanna's design to life. Inspiration came…
1842 Cortlandt, Heights, Houston, Texas

A house built in 1900, victorian country style with eleven foot ceilings and a wrap around porch. A family home built by a Union Pacific Railroad worker. Houston still needs more public transportation. This is a part of that small history!
Save PS103 - Thurgood Marshall's Elementary School

Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court Justice, lived in Baltimore for nearly all of his first 28 years. It was in Baltimore’s public schools where his moral and legal beliefs were forged. From 1914 to 1920, his first six years of segregated public school education, he attended Public School 103. It was within its walls that Marshall learned the U.S. Constitution. (As punishment for ac…
Art House Campus -Brooklyn Centre

The Wirth House, adjacent building and back Quonset hut make up the campus of the neighborhood arts organization-Art House. The buildings have frontage on a busy and historic thoroughfare--Denison Ave. The neighborhood is celebrating a bicentennial this year recognizing the first settlement in 1812. Art House has struggled with how to manage the front buildings, but the potential exists for these to serve …
Thomas Mansion

Built by George Clifford Thomas, Thomas Mansion is a historically and aesthetically significant example of a late 19th century High Victorian Gothic country villa. Its form and setting have been changed little since its construction in 1869. From the time it was incorporated into Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park in 1907, bequeathed by Thomas for the perpetual enjoyment of the public, the site has managed to su…
Biff's Coffee Shop

The Los Angeles architectural firm, Armet & Davis, known for “Googie” style space-age coffee shops, designed this, their only round diner. Standard Oil built it, along with a gas station on Broadway in 1963. Biff’s was popular from its inception. In spite of that, Chevron, Standard Oil’s successor, wanted to demolish it and replace it with a ‘McChevron,’ a McDonald’s/Chevron gas station combo, in 1996. …
Adirondack Trailways Station

The abandoned Adirondack Trailways Station in Albany is an excellent reminder of the prosperity and infrastructure built in the United States in the mid-20th century. A handsomely designed steel-framed structure with a built-in ground floor parking lot and elegantly tapered concrete posts, the terminal sits awaiting the wrecking ball or new-found urban explorers. A hallmark of American innovation and design…
Oldest Building in Alaska- The Baranov Museum- Kodiak, Alaska

The Baranov Museum occupies the oldest Western style building in the state of Alaska. It was originally built by the Russian America Company to house sea otter fur pelts circa 1795. It's prominent location on the channel entering Kodiak Harbor has made it a witness to the changing history of the Kodiak area for over 200 years.From the transfer of Alaska by the Russians to the United States, to the various A…
Redstone Coke Ovens

Once a national keystone of the industrial revolution, the 139 remaining coke ovens of Redstone, Colorado faced an uncertain future. A small group of concerned residents saw an opportunity for a grassroots design process, facilitating sustainable site design for what many feared would be lost forever. The heart and soul of this small, colorful Colorado town is still centered on the ruins of the remaining …
Sotterley Plantation

Older than Mount Vernon and Monticello, older than the nation itself, Sotterley Plantation stands majestically on the banks of the Patuxent River. The site encompasses nearly 100 acres of rolling meadows, gardens and shoreline. As the sole surviving Tidewater Plantation in Maryland with public access, Sotterley offers a wide range of visitor activities and educational experiences. During the 18th-c…
1884 B&O Railroad Station Project

In 1988 Oakland hosted a meeting of the Maryland Downtown Development Association, the keynote speaker said to keep a small town vibrant they needed to eliminate empty storefronts and develop a town square to attract visitors to the business area. We formed the Greater Oakland Business Association, cut taxes and started development around the theme “A Great Small Town.” With this in mind, we drew from our…
New York State Inebriate Asylum

The New York State Inebriate Asylum, built in 1858, was the very first facility in this country for the medical treatment of alcoholism. It was founded by J. Edward Turner and designed in the Castellated Gothic style by architect Isaac Gale Perry, who would go on to become one of New York State’s leading architects. Fifteen years after admitting its first patients, the Inebriate Asylum closed and the faci…
South Park, San Francisco

South Park, San Francisco, an urban commons since 1855. Built as a gated oval at the heart of an English Crescent residential enclave for patrician families, this classic private park absorbed waves of change as the neighborhood gave way to merchants, workers and industrial businesses. In time, it became a far less rarefied public park, but remained a jewel in an area bereft of green space. A prism for c…
Jensen Byrd Warehouse

The Jensen-Byrd Building is an impressive six-story warehouse with a classical cornice and other detailing, located at the eastern termination of Main Avenue in downtown Spokane. An outstanding example of early-twentieth century warehouse architecture, the building attests to Spokane’s prosperity as a regional business center at the time, and today constitutes a prominent landmark where the Central Business…
A flagpole landmark in Northeast Ohio

I am from Ohio. I was just back there in December. They have demolished or are demolishing old factories, old churches, old high schools, old restaurants, old flagpoles even and perhaps not ALL is worth saving. But DAMN IT! They are eviscerating our industrial and cultural heritage! And its not like they are replacing these with something really wonderful or significant. - its Big Box stores and malls…
Last of the ‘Ultimate Bungalows’: the William R. Thorsen House of Greene & Greene

A masterpiece of the American Arts and Crafts movement, the William R. Thorsen house in Berkeley, California (1909), was the last of the masterfully crafted ‘ultimate bungalows’ designed and furnished by renowned architects Charles and Henry Greene. Adjacent to the University of California campus, the Thorsen house has served since 1943 as the home of the Sigma Phi fraternity, whose members have earned inte…
Vintage Neon Sign Art Corridor

The historic neon signs that once enticed travelers along Miracle Mile Road in Tucson, Arizona are part of the romantic heritage of the Southwest. Many of the nostalgic neon signs for the swank tourist motels that flourished in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s have survived due to the desert climate but now languish in disrepair. These signs lured travelers to tantalizing roadside motels such as “The Amazon”, “Sunl…
Fred Smith's Wisconsin Concrete Park

The Wisconsin Concrete Park is an outdoor museum with 237 embellished concrete sculptures, built between 1949 and 1964 by Fred Smith, a retired lumberjack and self-taught artist. Installed throughout Smith’s northwoods property, the site is a historical panorama of life-size and larger-than-life tableaux depicting people, animals, and events from local, regional and national history. Throughout this remarka…
Magnolia Elementary School in Seattle

The former Magnolia Elementary School, built in 1927, is located at 2418 28th Avenue West in the Magnolia Neighborhood of Seattle. The site is 2.4 acres in size and is surrounded by Ella Bailey Park, adjacent and to the east, and single family residential homes. The site has amazing city views to the east and west, and on clear days, views of the Cascade mountains to the east and Olympic mountains to the we…
Redwood City Car Wash

If we fail to preserve this landmark, and others like it, El Camino Real is in danger of looking like an ordinary strip mall and the community loses a piece of history so evocative of an era.
City Hall, Berkeley, California

Berkeley California’s venerable Old City Hall will be demolished by neglect if current plans to “board it up” when vacated are not changed. If the Council simply ordered it demolished outright it would cost them good will and votes. In lieu of the wreaking ball, or community support “old” City Hall could face a slow and painful demise. The elegant Beaux-Arts style City Hall served as the home of city g…
SAVE A HISTORIC LOS ANGELES LANDMARK!!

Hailed in 1902 by the Los Angeles Times as a ”... beautiful piece of architectural workmanship...”, and decades before giving us such masterpieces as The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Union Station, renowned architect John B. Parkinson erected this little-known gem in the heart of Westlake, next to Mac Arthur Park. At just over ten thousand square feet, with elements of Gothic, Art-Nouveau, and Moori…
A Theater for Tomorrow

In 1941, theater architect John Eberson designed a small main street theater in Cohoes, New York. The Cohoes Theater was a public mainstay for more than three decades and was a gathering place to watch new films, attend high school graduations and catch up with friends. As people moved to the suburbs and the downtown area fell out of favor, the theater was shuttered and existed as a hallmark of mid-century …
Knights of Pythias Temple

Completed in 1916, the Knights of Pythias Temple stands today as a highly significant component of the social, cultural and architectural history of the African-American community in Dallas. The temple served from 1916 to 1939 as the social, professional and cultural center of the center of the city's African-American community. The temple hosted lectures, meetings, conventions and dances, as well as housed…
Multi-use Historical Restoration of the Cactus Drive-In Movie Theater

The Cactus (later known as the DeAnza) Drive-In Movie Theater served Tucson, Arizona between 1951 and 2009. Drive-in theaters have been going extinct since their heyday in the 1950’s when, of over 4000 across the US, Tucson had eight. Tucson’s Cactus Drive-In boasted a 600 car capacity and plenty of dry clear nights. The original 1951 screen, that thrilled audiences for over fifty years, has been dismant…
Seventh Avenue Restoration

Unfortunately it is in Canada so I don't think it is eligible for youyr contest, but you can get some details from the website www.seventhavenueautopark.com The concept is to use a robotic parkade to save a nearly intact streetscape of small, one storey heritage buildings located right in the heart of downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Hopefull it will go from one of Calgary's most feared streets t…
The Calumet Theatre, Calumet, MI

The Calumet Theatre The Calumet Theatre is an aging sandstone grand-dame from the early "Copper Country" gilded age, when Calumet, MI was one of the most cash-flush areas in the United States. It is aesthetically, historically and culturally significant: The mines were booming, and once built, the Calumet Theatre hosted the biggest names on the international stage. Today, the building is being lovingly m…
The Machine Shop

The Machine Shop and is located in Sausalito, CA. The Machine Shop building and site is located within the former W.A. Bechtel’s Marinship Corporation’s shipyard. The Marinship Corporation’s shipyard employed approximately 75,000 people, almost a third of which were female, and constructed an astounding and unprecedented total of 93 Liberty Ships in 3½ years for the nation’s World War II efforts from 194…
1850's Dallidet Adobe

This beautiful adobe home was built by Pierre Hypolite Dallidet, a carpenter by trade, he served in the French army, in Tahiti, until 1851. After seeking fortune in the California gold fields, Pierre set out for Mexico. He stopped in San Luis Obispo staying with the Mexican Salazar family. Pierre married the Salazar daughter, Maria Ascencion in 1856 and settled on the adjoining property. By 1870, Pierre,…
Preserving A Small Town Museum

The Waterloo Area Historical Museum was first built as a Church in 1869. Later the Catholic Church moved to another location and took many items with the move. The Waterloo Area Historical Society inherited the 1869 building and has worked diligently toward preserving the structure. Cracks have appeared inside and outside the man made brick building of 1869. We would like help in restoring this Gothic str…
Grand Army of the Republic Arch: Grand Icon of a New Era

Historic landmarks are often at the mercy of what is considered “progress” or the trend of the day, and once they’re torn down they are gone forever. In 1900, Superior, Wisconsin put a decorative arch, four gracefully curved steel shafts with an ornate centerpiece, across the center of its main street to welcome members of the Grand Army of the Republic to the city. It stood at that corner for 20 years, b…
The Fuller Dome Preservation Project

The Fuller Dome is the original geodesic dome home or R. Buckminster Fuller. It is the only geodesic dome he ever called home. He assembled the dome home in Carbondale, IL in 1960 and lived there with his wife Anne for over a decade. Bucky has some very good years in Carbondale, with many of his most significant achievements happening during that time. His most enduring legacy is of course the geodesic dom…
Everett Square Theatre in Hyde Park, Ma

The Everett Square Theatre at 11 Fairmount Ave in Hyde Park, Ma was a vaudeville/ movie house built in 1915. Like RKO theatres, its ornate interior décor featured marble, brass and elaborate gilded plaster carvings. These details are still in evidence at the Everett Square Theatre as is Milton Berle’s signature scrawled on a backstage wall. Years of water damage caused by a roofing problem have wreaked…
Roland Water Tower

The Roland Water Tower soars 148 feet into the Baltimore sky, a symbol of urban progress. The octagonal Italianate structure marries form and function, enclosing the machinery of urban water delivery. Its recognition among the most endangered sites in Maryland reflects the threat of deterioration faced by this local icon. The tower was built in 1905 to supply clean water in the area, enabling the developme…
Stanford Medical Center - Edward Durell Stone - 1959

In the 1950s, American architect Edward Durell Stone challenged the principles of the International style of Modernism by incorporating elements borrowed from his Beaux-Arts education and embracing ornamentation in his designs. The grand opening of Stanford Medical Center in 1959 followed a series of high profile projects and professional accolades for the young Stone. Heralded by Architectural Forum …
1891 Burnham and Root Depot

Keokuk, Iowa is a modest city with a population of approximately 10,000 located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. It was incorporated in 1847 and was considered the next up and coming city due to its involvement in the Mississippi River trade. As Keokuk grew, it needed to accommodate their residents as well as visitors, which led to the construction of the Keokuk Union Depot built in 1891. Designed…
The Fort Atkinson Club

The Fort Atkinson Club opened under the same name, with a Grand Ball in 1913, with the purpose of serving the businessmen of Fort Atkinson and their families. This 3 story Craftsman style building of just under 6000 square feet spent much of it's life as the Billings Masonic Lodge. The Lodge includes Lounges with wood burning fireplaces, kitchens on 2 levels with dumbwaiter service, 2 regulation size bowlin…
The Breckinridge Tobacco Barn

The Breckinridge Tobacco Barn is located on the grounds of Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum in Southern Maryland. Erected in the late 19th century by the Peterson family and their tenant farmers, the Bowen family, it was used for air drying tobacco. Tobacco cultivation was historically the main source of income for much of the population in Southern Maryland. The decline of this way of life was recently d…
San Francisco Women's Building: An Icon of Art and Empowerment

The San Francisco Women’s Building is a landmark internationally recognized for its mural, MaestraPeace (1994), which honors women’s contributions around the world. The building dates from 1910 and tells the story of San Francisco’s rich cultural layers. It was a German gym and Norwegian hall before becoming the first women-owned and operated community center in the country in 1979. Recommended as a “must s…
Library from a Different Era

Libraries were once places of learning and enlightenment. Communities planned events around them, celebrated histories within and could not imagine life without them. And so was the case for most African-American communities. The National African American Archives, a place that attempts to preserve local African American history, in Mobile, Alabama, was once the home to the Davis Avenue Branch Library, t…
Warren House- Constitution Island

This land and house is located across from West Point and where the second chain hung across the river during the revolutionary war. This property has long history and is severely neglected. The house was lived in by the Warner sisters whom moved up from New York City when their father lost all his money in one of the stock market crashes. They must have been amazing ladies to live there themselves ( fa…
Get Your TRICA Wings Here!

Brilliant. This was my word in 2007 when I found out Jon Swarthout had procured one of the 10 most endangered historical sites in Idaho (a 100 year old Immanuel Methodist Episcopal Church in my North End Boise Neighborhood) and planned to renovate the sandstone building in order to make it a permanent home for his education project TRICA (Treasure Valley Institute for Children’s Arts). Before 2007, i…
Naples Memorial Town Hall

On Main Street, in the rural Village of Naples, the Naples Memorial Town Hall was built in 1872 as one of only two memorial buildings dedicated to Civil War Veterans in New York. There is a full basement, three large, bright rooms (one with a small stage) and new bathrooms on the main floor, and an auditorium upstairs. Until World War II, the Hall was the center of activity including dances, shows and sch…
Merchants & Farmers Bank~ THE HEART of Main Street Roanoke, Alabama

The First National Bank in Roanoke, Alabama, was completed October 1921. Still the only three story building in town, the structure continues to hold an important place in the heart of Roanoke’s citizenry. A favorite quote from the weekly paper (still a privately owned family paper today) dated dated January 24, 1923, “This is one of the finest structures of the time in any small city in the country, and i…
Pleasure Palace

The Pleasure Palace, situated at the end of the Pleasure Pier, was the hub of social and political functions for the city of Fort Myers from 1927 to 1943. Thomas Edison celebrated all of his accomplishments and birthdays in the grand ballroom of the Moorish-style building. Reaching several hundred yards out into the Caloosahatchee, the Pleasure Palace with its numerous French doors that opened wide to all…
L'Aquila

At 3.32 am on the morning of April 6th 2009 the earth beneath L’Aquila in the Abruzzi region of Central Italy began to shake. The earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale buried 299 inhabitants under the rubble of their own homes. Within a few seconds 65,000 people had been made homeless and 1,500 injured. The newspaper headlines and images of devastation the next day were reason enough to launch t…
Bucks County Playhouse

The Bucks County Playhouse is a landmark nestled against the Delaware River in the historic, bohemian town of New Hope, PA. The playhouse is 72 years old. During that time span it has seen countless productions from off-broadway to the yearly halloween week productions of The Rocky Horror picture show. Icons like Liza Minnelli, Grace Kelly and Robert Redford have graced it's stage. It has also been dama…
Historic Pullman Market Hall

The historic Market Hall in the Pullman landmark district of Chicago was built as an original feature of George Pullman's famous factory town of 1880, but in a conventional city square rather than the present Italianate "circle". Just twelve years after construction, the original Market Square Hall burned in a fire, so Pullman's architect Solon S. Beman was again commissioned for an 1893 reboot. Mr. Pullman…
Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson

The Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson was home to Thomas Woodrow Wilson and his family between 1860 and 1870. It was in this Presbyterian manse that Wilson experienced the horrors of the Civil War and Reconstruction, developed his leadership skills as president of the Lightfoot Baseball Club, deepened his Presbyterian faith, and overcame a learning disability in order to learn to read. All of these…
The Bull Run Powerhouse "Re-Generation" Project

The 100 year-old Bull Run Powerhouse was decommissioned in 2008, and slated to be demolished. A group of three passionate but un-financed preservationists intervened. December 30, 2011, 1556 days from the first meeting with the utility, the property was sold to Powerhouse Re Gen. This heraldic edifice was so remote that a 40-mile railroad was built to construct and maintain it. The railroad was unabl…
Tacoma's Old City Hall

Originally designed to house the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce, the structure was adapted to government needs after the City and Chamber decided to swap properties. Modeled after Italian Renaissance town halls, the 1893 structure features fine brickwork and terracotta ornamentation. The distinctive clock was added to the tower in 1904. The city moved out in 1959 and Old City Hall was saved from the wrecking ba…
Tacoma's Old City Hall

OLD CITY HALL Tacoma’s Old City Hall will be 120 years old soon. But when I was born, here in Tacoma, it was only 60. The accelerating pace of time and change in my life takes my breath away. To me, preserving solid links between past, present, and future is not just a civic-minded option, but vital for our human needs for connection, for community, and for continuity spanning the flow of time. …
Ward Hall Greek Revival Mansion

Outside of Lexington, Kentucky, in the quaint town of Georgetown, stands Ward Hall on 40 acres of land. Surrounded by the classic Kentucky landscape, Ward Hall demands to be noticed. Ward Hall is thought to have been built and designed as a summer home for the Ward Family by Thomas Lewinski and today it is recognized as the number one example of Greek Revival Architecture in the state of Kentucky. Since its…
Fort Snelling - Upper Post

At the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers lies the Fort Snelling Historic Site, a landmark so rich in historical and environmental significance, it is referred to as the “birthplace of Minnesota.” Established in 1819, the fort was built to control traffic and a thriving fur trade with the Native population on two major rivers and the exploding population of white settlers. The Indian Age…
1897 Belleview Biltmore Hotel

In 1897 the railroad tycoon Henry Plant built this largest and oldest wooden structure in the USA to entice the very wealthy to a season of leisure and good health in the Florida sunshine. His railroad would deliver passengers as well as private train cars directly to the hotels' front door. Until 2009, visitors could still stay in the original rooms, bathe in the pool, and have meals in the restaurants. …
The Ninth Avenue Terminal

The Ninth Avenue Terminal is a prominent visual element in the neighborhood and along the waterfront, a distinct ‘A’ rated landmark and anchor building with a distinctive design and focal location on the Oakland-Alameda Estuary, and large scale - 1,004 feet long by 180 feet wide and 47 feet in height, i.e., 180,000 square feet. This historic building: ➢ is strongly linked to establishment of the first Bo…
The Hegeler Carus Mansion

The Hegeler Carus Mansion is worthy of preservation not just because it is a National Historic Landmark, but because it has historical significance worldwide. It is a precious gem for the city of La Salle, Illinois. The mansion remains true to its namesakes' values and the structure has not been significantly altered since being built more than a century ago. It began as a family home and has become "an exa…
Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts- Seaview Farm Dairy Barn

Seaview Farm Dairy Barn was the last working dairy on Nantucket Island and represents mid twentieth century construction techniques and style. Since 1979, the barn has been repurposed, housing the studios, interns residence and programs of the Nantucket Island School of Design and the Arts, founded and directed by Kathy Kelm. Luminaries presenting programs have included Buckminister Fuller; illustrator…
Governor William H. Upham Mansion

Civil War veteran William Upham was instrumental in the early development of Marshfield, WI. He and his wife Mary came to Marshfield in 1878 and established lumber businesses. Elected Mayor twice 1886-1887, Upham helped rebuild Marshfield in 1887 after a fire destroyed it and served as Wisconsin’s 18th Governor from 1895-1897. Mary was actively involved in Marshfield and as Wisconsin’s First Lady.…
Aluminaire House

The Aluminaire House was designed by Modern architects, A. Lawrence Kocher and Albert Frey in 1931 for the Architectural League of New York. The pavilion was to be used as a temporary, indoor exhibition for the 45th Annual Exhibition of Architectural and Allied Arts. The three-story house was built entirely of prefabricated, composite aluminum walls and light steel. After only 10 days of construction t…
The Fleet Home

As an early example pre-fabricated house, the Fleet Home embodies high design for the masses and is exactly the kind of site that should be discussed when “rethinking preservation”. The Fleet Home became South Pasadena California’s Cultural Heritage Landmark Number 51 for the following reasons: - Its association with “master” designers Henry Dreyfus and Edward Larrabee Barnes; as well as landscape design…
Inter-Continental Motors

In 1964, the Inter-Continental Motors Building was heralded as "One of the World's Most Beautiful Dealerships." Glass-walled, light, and airy, it is one of the last remaining examples of the pure Texas Modernism of O'Neil Ford. Now the building's glory days are a distant memory, waiting to be revived. When the Inter-Continental Motors Corporation moved its headquarters to San Antonio, it turned to O'Neil Fo…
Merlex Stucco - From Oranges to Manufacturing Stucco

Our company will soon be celebrating its 50th Anniversary in business in March of 2013, and I felt what a better way to not only to celebrate our 50 years of service in the building industry, but to pride ourselves in our accomplishments being the only stucco manufacturer left in Orange County as well as working under the constraints in an old, histroical landmark built in the late 1800's, early 1900's. The…
Entrance to the Sacramento Zoo

We would like to nominate the Entrance to the William Land Park Zoo (1961) in Sacramento, California -- designed by architect and designer team Rickey & Brooks. The Zoo entrance is made of three hyperbolic paraboloid structures (aka hypars) and represents an increasingly rare kind of mid-20th century construction. There are few remaining examples of hypars left in Sacramento; the Zoo entrance structures ar…
Tovrea Castle at Carraro Heights

The Tovrea Castle at Carraro Heights has been a historical landmark nestled on 44 acres in the heart of Phoenix for over 70 years. Alessio Carraro, an Italian immigrant, built the Castle between 1928-1930 along with a breathtaking cactus garden that surrounded the Castle. His vision was to have the Castle serve as a hotel where visitors from around the world could relax while enjoying the beauty of the Ph…
Washington Monument (Baltimore)

Built in 1815, the statue was designed by Robert Mills and glorifies Washington. Located in the middle of the historic Mt. Vernon neighborhood, it offers panoramic views of the city from the top (only 228 steps to be exact). The monument was open to the public up until June 2010 when it was closed for safety reasons following an inspection by a structural engineer. Missing mortar and rusted support brac…
The Alley Bar and Grill

In an era when every other commercial space in the 'Town seems primed to convert to hipster faux dive bars, the Alley at 3325 Grand Avenue stands proudly as something real: a real piano bar, with an actual pianist, sincere bartenders, genuine patrons arriving to sing and drink, no high-tone affectation necessary, as it never has been since this place opened in 1931, when it presumably served, uh, lemonade a…
Toronto's Massey Hall

Southern Ontario has recently lost a few of it's greatest music venues. One close to my heart was "Park Place" in Barrie Ontario, where Live 8 was held. When Molson sold and tore down it's brewery, talks of using the large piece of land for commercial development commenced. Today this land and the old site of the historic Brewery is home to an Urban Barn, Milestones Restaurant and other retail chains. This …
Elfo Grisanti's Restaurant - Vote for us

We are the 5th generation of Grisanti restaurants in Memphis, TN and now in the suburbs Germantown, TN. Our family has moved from one historical location to another starting on Main street across from the train station over 100 years ago. In February of 2008 determined to continue the family legacy we moved to our new location in the heart of Old Germantown in one of the oldest buildings in the city right…
Crozier Tech High School

Also know as Dallas High School and Bryan High School, is a three and half story, classical revival school that was constructed in 1907, making it the oldest remaining high school in Dallas. Located in the heart of downtown near offices, hotels and a major transit line, it sits vacant as a reminder of the past and what preservation is about. This building it located on prime real estate and could easily be …
Fort Bragg Eagles Hall

The Eagles Hall was built in 1914 by the local Finish Community. At that time it was known as Conrad Hall. It was used as a meeting hall and a theater. One of the outstanding features of the Hall is the solid Madrone floor in the main room. It is the largest building of its kind left in Fort Bragg. About 1960 the Local Eagles Lodge purchased the building. We still own the Hall and use it for Eagles meet…
1903 Chase Stone Barn

The small rural Town of Chase (population 3005) is working hard to raise funds to preserve one of the last surviving all-fieldstone barns in the country. The stone barn was built in 1903 and is on the State and National Register of Historic Places. In 2007, the Town of Chase purchased the stone barn so they could protect it and make it the focal point of their new Chase Stone Barn Park. Once restored, th…
Her Majesty on Main Street

An 1869-71 built Italianate Residence on Main Street in Vergennes Vermont, left to decline for the last twenty years, is ready for her revitalization. Her Majesty (as she is sometimes referred to) has almost all original woodwork intact, only a few renovations to reverse; she is a landmark for the Small City (one square mile) of Vergennes VT, a place where reverence for the beauty that comes with age is pr…
Help Save Hannah's House

Hannah Barker, an Irish immigrant, came west in 1867 to teach in a mining town west of Boulder. She married well, moved to Boulder, was soon widowed, and then became a force in town in her own right. She platted the town of Highland Lawn, started the city’s first creamery, donated park land, and was the first woman director of the Boulder Bank. She became a philanthropist providing major financial contribut…
Boysen's Market (formerly Fenner Bros.) in Martin, Michigan

Help us save Boysen's Market in Martin, Michigan! It's been vacant for over 10 years and may be torn it down soon! We're trying to save it and restore it back to the original brick building to preserve our history. Boysen's property is where our little town of Martin started. Where the first settler Mumford Eldred bought land and built his 18x18 log cabin in the 1836 with his wife and 5 children. Where Thom…

Rethinking Preservation

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