Pictures: America's Most Endangered Historical Sites

Astrodome
Photograph by Michael Stravato, New York Times/Redux
The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced a list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places on June 19. All of the featured sites were nominated for their historical or architectural significance, their deteriorating conditions, and the viability of a solution to restore them. But five sites stand out as the most endangered, according to Virgil McDill, associate director of public affairs at theNational Trust.
The Astrodome in Houston, Texas (pictured) is the world's first domed indoor stadium. But it has lost its athletic residents—and relevance—to newer stadiums in recent years. Currently empty, the dome faces an uncertain future, which may include demolition if it doesn't find a new purpose.
Built in 1960, many view the structure as an icon of the modern sports industry. "With all the new stadiums being built, old ones are being left behind," explained McDill. "The Astrodome is iconic, but it's in need of a plan."
The gridiron monument isn't the only building in need of a new life. Schoolhouses in Montana also need a different reason to live. McDill says Montana has more one- and two-room schoolhouses than any other state, but recent demographic shifts have been putting these historical buildings out of use.
"People are moving to more urban areas, and the children who once used these schoolhouses are moving too," McDill said. "In Montana it's a funding issue. The state doesn't have the funds to repurpose all these schoolhouses." (Read about "The Emptied Prairie" in National Geographic magazine.)
A salmon cannery in Alaska is threatened by brutal environmental conditions in this most northern state. "The Kake Cannery in Alaska is a wooden building exposed to harsh conditions," McDill said. "It's in a remote area, and it needs immediate help to make sure it doesn't collapse."
The Rancho Cucamonga Chinatown House in southern California faces similar threats. Built in 1919, the two-story brick building has been deteriorating rapidly in recent years, despite being "one of the last tangible connections to the community of Chinese-American laborers" that once thrived there.
"It's got a great story, and a very strong nonprofit that would like to do work on it," McDill said. "But it needs a strong partner that can steward the changes."
The Worldport Terminal at JFK Airport in New York City has recently become endangered since Delta Airlines ceased operations there in May 2013.
Current plans call for the demolition of the iconic structure, whose flying-saucer shape is viewed by many as a symbol for the Jet Age and 1960s culture. According to McDill, the Worldport is in desperate need of a "viable reuse plan," in order to avoid destruction.
—Lara Sorokanich
Published June 20, 2013
Historic Rural Schoolhouses
Photograph courtesy Carroll Van West, NTHP
Schoolhouses in Montana are in danger of falling out of use due to a lack of funding, according to McDill. Schoolhouses have been used in Montana for the children of numerous generations of farmers and ranchers. The buildings at risk range in age, but some date back to the 1800s.
Though one- and two-room schoolhouses are abundant in Montana, they're used less frequently as families migrate to urban areas. The buildings are thus in need of a new purpose or they will face abandonment and deterioration.
Published June 20, 2013
Cannery on Verge of Collapse
Photograph courtesy Library of Congress/NTHP
The Kake Cannery (pictured) played a key role in the development of the Alaskan salmon-canning industry in the early 20th century. It attracted a very ethnically diverse workforce, though groups were kept segregated.
The cannery, located in southeast Alaska (map), is at particular risk due to its rapidly deteriorating state. Owned by the Organized Village of Kake (OVK), a recognized Native American tribe, the cannery comprises several wooden buildings that were built in the early 20th century.
"It needs immediate help to make sure it doesn't collapse," McDill said of the complex. "A couple buildings have already collapsed from the harsh weather conditions."
Published June 20, 2013
Fading Community
Photograph courtesy Rick Eng, NTHP
Rancho Cucamonga (map) in southern California was once a thriving community for Chinese-American laborers. Now, the Chinatown House (pictured) is one of only a few remaining structures representing this ethnic history.
Once a general store and house for approximately 50 laborers, the two-story building is now in desperate need of restoration. Further deterioration may require the structure's demolition.
Published June 20, 2013
Flying Saucer at JFK Airport
Photograph by Peter J. Eckel, Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
The Worldport Terminal at JFK airport—pictured here in 1972—was renamed Terminal Three after Delta Airlines ceased using it in May 2013. While efforts have been made to repurpose it for other uses—including turning it into a museum and restaurant complex—current discussions call for the demolition of the iconic 1960s structure.
Though a "younger" site in terms of history, the Worldport Terminal is considered a highly valuable landmark to the judges at the National Trust.
"We look for a list that expresses the diversity of the American experience," McDill explained. "We like to have a list that represents different places and eras in American history." (See pictures of seven of the world’s most extreme airports.)
Published June 20, 2013
San José Church
Photograph by Michele Falzone, Alamy
San José Church in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico (map) dates back to the 16th century. Located in a U.S. territory, the church was built well before Englishmen set foot on the continental United States and is a valuable piece of Puerto Rican architectural history.
Today it is threatened by deterioration and structural damage, in part because it hasbeen closed to tourists for 13 years.
Published June 20, 2013
James River
Photograph by Sam Abell, National Geographic
Perhaps best known for Jamestown, the historical site where America's first English settlement was founded in 1607, areas along the James River are being threatened by a proposed transmission line project. Development could mar the scenery around historic sites, including the iconic colonial town. (Related: "Jamestown Colonists Resorted to Cannibalism.")
Published June 20, 2013
Mountain View Black Officers' Club
Photograph by Rick Scibelli, New York Times/Redux
The Mountain View Black Officers' Club in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, is a remnant of racial tensions in the United States during World War II. (Explore a World War II time line.)
Built in 1942, the military service club was created during a large-scale "separate but equal" project within the military, along with barracks, hospitals, offices, and other such facilities.
The picture above shows the site's current interior, dilapidated after years of neglect. When in service, the club hosted iconic singers and actresses including Lena Horne and Dinah Shore, and boxing great Joe Louis.
Today it is threatened by demolition, and may be put on the U.S. Army's active disposal list.
Published June 20, 2013
Gay Head Lighthouse
Photograph by Cindy Hopkins, Alamy
The first lighthouse built on Martha's vineyard (map) in Massachusetts, Gay Head Lighthouse is over 150 years old and stands atop the Gay Head cliffs.
The landmark is in danger of toppling over, due to erosion of the cliffs on which it stands. Currently, it rests approximately 50 to 60 feet (15 to 18 meters) from the cliffs' edge, and within a few years it may be impossible to move due to the restrictions of the machinery required.
Experts have estimated the lighthouse has two years before it can no longer be saved.
Published June 20, 2013
Abyssinian Meeting House
Photograph by Hern Swanson, New York Times/Redux
The Abyssinian Meeting House, built in 1828, was more than just a religious center for the residents of Portland, Maine.
As a former stop on the Underground Railroad, and the third-oldest standing African-American meeting house in the United States, it holds a rich place in African-American history.
Today the site is at risk of destruction from a lack of funding for its upkeep. Here, a member of the Committee to Restore the Abyssinian Church stands inside what used to be the church's sanctuary.
Published June 20, 2013
Village of Mariemont
Photograph by Todd Warshaw, Pool/Allsport/Getty Images
The Village of Mariemont (map) is a small Ohio community designed by landscape architect and community planner John Nolen between 1921 and 1925. Today it is considered one of America's most picturesque communities, and it continues to inspire urban planners.
The village is currently threatened by an Ohio Department of Transportation project that proposes, among other things, to build an elevated highway through the town's southern border.
The plans, if carried out, would significantly alter the community's quaint atmosphere, as well as disrupt natural resources and infringe on Native American archaeological sites.
Published June 20, 2013