As the saying goes, neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night can stay U.S. postal carriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. But according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, many of the historic structures that once employed (or still employ) those carriers are facing uncertain futures.
"Due to the U.S. Postal Services haphazard disposition process, developers and others interested in purchasing and rehabbing these buildings end up walking away after failing to get timely or clear answers from the Postal Service," notes the organization, which included historic U.S. post offices on its 2012 list of the country's most endangered places.
This year marks the 25th anniversary for the list, which has spotlighted 242 locations threatened by neglect, insufficient funding, nearby development or poor public policy. The group's successes range from JFK International Airport's TWA terminal (listed in 2003, Eero Saarinen's architectural masterpiece is now being restored) to the oldest surviving McDonald's in Downey, Calif. Built in 1953, the fast-food landmark was listed in 1994 after weak sales and minor damage from that year's Northridge earthquake nearly forced its closure, but "widespread public outcry" prompted McDonald's to revamp and renovate the building.
Not all the trust's endangered places have had happy endings, however. According to the trust's president, Stephanie Meeks, 10 sites have been lost over the past quarter century - including such high-profile venues as Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater (abandoned in 2006 and then demolished) and Detroit's Tiger Stadium (demolished in 2009).
Others remain in limbo, from California's financially beleagured state parks (listed in 2008) to the city of Charleston, S.C., which the trust placed on a first-ever "watch status" in 2011 because of concerns over growing cruise ship tourism. The only state to be cited, Vermont, was listed in 1993 and again in 2004 over a potential "invasion of behemoth stores that would destroy much of what makes Vermont, Vermont." Today, says Meeks, the proliferation of Wal-Marts and other big-box stores "continue to be a concern."
Other places on the 2012 list, along with the trust's rationale for including them:
"Due to the U.S. Postal Services haphazard disposition process, developers and others interested in purchasing and rehabbing these buildings end up walking away after failing to get timely or clear answers from the Postal Service," notes the organization, which included historic U.S. post offices on its 2012 list of the country's most endangered places.
This year marks the 25th anniversary for the list, which has spotlighted 242 locations threatened by neglect, insufficient funding, nearby development or poor public policy. The group's successes range from JFK International Airport's TWA terminal (listed in 2003, Eero Saarinen's architectural masterpiece is now being restored) to the oldest surviving McDonald's in Downey, Calif. Built in 1953, the fast-food landmark was listed in 1994 after weak sales and minor damage from that year's Northridge earthquake nearly forced its closure, but "widespread public outcry" prompted McDonald's to revamp and renovate the building.
Not all the trust's endangered places have had happy endings, however. According to the trust's president, Stephanie Meeks, 10 sites have been lost over the past quarter century - including such high-profile venues as Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater (abandoned in 2006 and then demolished) and Detroit's Tiger Stadium (demolished in 2009).
Others remain in limbo, from California's financially beleagured state parks (listed in 2008) to the city of Charleston, S.C., which the trust placed on a first-ever "watch status" in 2011 because of concerns over growing cruise ship tourism. The only state to be cited, Vermont, was listed in 1993 and again in 2004 over a potential "invasion of behemoth stores that would destroy much of what makes Vermont, Vermont." Today, says Meeks, the proliferation of Wal-Marts and other big-box stores "continue to be a concern."
Other places on the 2012 list, along with the trust's rationale for including them:
- Bridges of Yosemite Valley, Calif.: "A proposed National Park Service management plan for the Merced River, which flows through the heart of Yosemite National Park, would leave three historic Rustic Style bridges in danger of removal despite their significance to the park's treasured landscape."
- Ellis Island Hospital Complex, New York Harbor, N.Y. and N.J.: "Ellis Island was once known as an "'sland of Hope' for immigrants who launched new lives in America, but hospital and support structures on the island -once comprising the largest U.S. Public Health Service institution in the country-are now dilapidated and threatened by lack of funding."
- Joe Frazier's Gym, Philadelphia: "The gym where boxing legend Joe Frazier trained for his victorious bout against Muhammad Ali is currently for sale, unrecognized and unprotected by local or national preservation designations."
- Malcolm X-Ella Little-Collins House, Boston: " Built in 1874, this modest structure is the last known surviving boyhood home of Malcolm X. Largely unused for over 30 years, plans are in development to rehabilitate and reuse the deteriorating property as living quarters for graduate students studying African American history, social justice, or civil rights."
- Princeton Battlefield, Princeton, N.J.: "The site of a historic battle that was pivotal in changing the tide of the American Revolution is threatened by a proposed housing development."
- Sweet Auburn Historic District, Atlanta: "A prime example of the flourishing segregated African-American neighborhoods in the South during the Jim Crow era and birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr., (it) faces disinvestment and inappropriate development along its commercial corridor."
- Terminal Island, Port of Los Angeles: "A major shipbuilding center, the place where America's tuna canning industry came of age, the site of the forced removal of nearly 3,000 Japanese-Americans residents in 1942, and now a popular setting for movie and TV productions, the site is threatened by continued neglect due to long-term vacancy of the historic buildings and a proposed plan that limits reuse of the buildings and, in some cases, calls for their demolition."
- Texas Courthouses: "Texas' 244 courthouses serve as important architectural and historical records of the state's past. Physical deterioration outpaces the availability of public funds necessary for courthouse restoration and revitalization, and competing needs for limited revenue challenge their future."
- Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch, Billings County, N.D. Roosevelt's home in the North Dakota Badlands " is threatened by a proposed road and bridge that would forever mar the Elkhorn Ranch landscape and stain Roosevelt's legacy of conservation."
- Village of Zoar, Ohio: "This 195-year old village in Northeast Ohio was founded in 1817 by religious separatists fleeing Germany. Remarkably intact, (it) is threatened by the potential removal of a levee that could lead to massive flooding or require demolition of much of the town."
