NEWS
Indiana Landmarks Announces 10 Most Endangered
Annual list calls attention to Indiana places in danger of disappearing.
INDIANAPOLIS (August 19, 2024) – Indiana Landmarks today announced the 10 Most Endangered, an annual list of Hoosier landmarks in jeopardy. The list includes a beloved but deteriorating church; a rare polygonal barn; a historic Black social club; a picturesque one-room school; a rugged reminder of the industrial revolution; an early tribute to higher education; an architect-designed industrial building; a threatened Victorian neighborhood; historic fraternal lodge buildings; and a former movie palace.
Places that land on the 10 Most Endangered list often face a combination of problems rather than a single threat—abandonment, neglect, dilapidation, obsolete use, development pressure, or owners who simply lack money for repairs.
“Indiana Landmarks uses its 10 Most Endangered list in several ways. Sometimes it serves an educational role. It functions as an advocacy tool. And it can assist in raising funds needed to save a place,” says Marsh Davis, president of the nonprofit preservation organization. “Each endangered place tells a distinct story, and each faces its own set of challenges. In all cases, when an endangered place lands on our list, we commit to seeking solutions that lead to rescue and revitalization,” he adds.
The 10 Most Endangered in 2024 includes six new sites and four entries repeating from last year’s list:
- Bethlehem Healing Temple, Gary
- College Hall, Merom Camp & Retreat Center, Merom
- Rudicel-Montgomery Polygonal Barn, Waldron
- Sollman School, Snake Run (near Fort Branch)
- Sposeep & Sons Building, Wabash
- West Side Recreation Club, South Bend
- Historic Fraternal Lodges, Indianapolis and statewide (repeat entry from 2023)
- International Harvester Engineering Building, Fort Wayne (repeat entry from 2023)
- Starr Historic District, Richmond (repeat entry from 2023)
- State Theatre, Anderson (repeat entry from 2023)
Since the list was introduced in 1991, demolition has claimed only 20 of the 170 Most Endangered sites, while 105 places are completely restored or no longer endangered.
To find out more about each of the 10 Most Endangered, visit www.indianalandmarks.org/10-most-endangered or contact Indiana Landmarks, 317-639-4534 or 800-450-4534.
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Media contacts:
Mindi Woolman, Director of Marketing & Communications, 317-639-4534 / 800-450-4534, mwoolman@indianalandmarks.org
Jen Thomas, JTPR, Inc., 317-441-2487, jen@jtprinc.com
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Indiana Landmarks revitalizes communities, strengthens connections to our diverse heritage, and saves meaningful places. With nine offices located throughout the state, Indiana Landmarks helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. People who join Indiana Landmarks receive its bimonthly magazine, Indiana Preservation. For more information on the not-for-profit organization, call 317-639-4534, 800-450-4534, or visit www.indianalandmarks.org.
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