Announcing 2010's 10 Most Endangered
5/4/2010
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Without swift action, deterioration will claim St. John’s Hospital, a significant landmark of Gary’s African American heritage. The loss of such a building could prove a tipping point in the city’s Midtown area, where many buildings designed and built by and for African Americans are endangered and declining. |
This month Indiana Landmarks announces its 10 Most Endangered, an annual list of Hoosier landmarks in jeopardy. Without aggressive action, these important places could be lost forever.
The announcement comes as we celebrate National Preservation Month in May, a time to focus attention on historic places and value they add to our communities.
Some of the 10 Most are long-vacant and dilapidated structures that have outlived their original purposes. Others are threatened by urban sprawl or its opposite, lack of redevelopment prospects.
“Most are vacant. Some are isolated, or collapsing, or obsolete. They’re also full of memories and meaning and potential,” says Marsh Davis, president of Indiana Landmarks. “The sites that achieve 10 Most Endangered status are important and irreplaceable—and often challenging to save,” he adds. “These landmarks reconnect us to our shared heritage. They’re meaningful places that can be saved and can spur broader revitalization.”
Indiana Landmarks uses the Most Endangered list to bring public attention to the imperiled sites and mobilize support for their preservation. We put the ten places at the top of our ‘to-do’ list, taking active steps to improve their prospects and enlisting interest from private developers, government officials, other nonprofits, businesses and individuals.
Sites remain on the Most Endangered list until they’re declared safe or no longer in immediate danger. Five landmarks make repeat appearances on the 2010 list, joined by five new entries. Indiana’s 10 Most Endangered historic places in 2010 are:
Bush Stadium, Indianapolis
Farmers Institute, southwest of Lafayette
Historic windows, statewide
Plainfield Diner, Plainfield
Roberts Memorial Building, Connersville
St. John’s Hospital, Gary
Syracuse Depot, Syracuse
Terrell Jacobs Circus Barns, Peru
Washington Avenue Historic District, Evansville
John Work House, Charlestown vicinity
The prospects of three places on the 2009 Most Endangered list—Indiana Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home, Snow Hill Covered Bridge, and the Old Perry County Courthouse—improved enough that Indiana Landmarks removed the critical label.
The future remains uncertain for the Old Lowell School in northern Indiana and Maple Grove Road Rural Historic District near Bloomington. In Lowell, the owner of the school is unable to repair the escalating deterioration. The town of Lowell is moving to take ownership and raze the landmark as a public safety threat. Indiana Landmarks continues to advocate for both sites.
You can help save these irreplaceable landmarks:
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Contact local opinion leaders, decision makers, and elected officials who can make a difference for a 10 Most site.
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Call or email Indiana Landmarks’ regional office nearest a 10 Most site to suggest a preservation solution.
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