Pictures: 11 Most Endangered U.S. Historic Sites Named

Elkhorn Ranch, North Dakota

Photograph courtesy Dickinson State University

Located in the North Dakota Badlands, Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch (pictured) and its surroundings are under threat due to a proposed road that would introduce traffic, noise, and dust, according to the National Trust.

The country's 26th president hunted, ran cattle, and explored the ranch in the late 19th century. The site is credited with helping Roosevelt develop a deep appreciation for nature conservation and the U.S. West.

The National Trust hopes an alternative road location can be chosen that will not harm the ranch.

(Read "The Emptied Prairie" in National Geographic magazine.)

Published June 8, 2012

Ellis Island Hospital Complex, New York

Photograph courtesy Clara Daly

Millions of immigrants passed through the hospital complex on Ellis Island, New York (pictured) between 1892 and 1954. But its buildings have stood largely idle or shuttered for decades.

Although the National Park Service stabilized the hospital structures ten years ago, millions of dollars are still needed to rehabilitate the interiors, according to the National Trust website.

According to Meeks, a site must meet three criteria to be considered for placement on the National Trust's annual list.

"We look at the significance of the property, the urgency of the threat, and the possibility of a positive outcome," Meeks said.

"Most of the nominations come from preservation organizations ... but we'll also take them from individuals and community groups," she added.

(Also see "Pictures: New U.S. Historic Landmarks Named.")

Published June 8, 2012

Village of Zoar, Ohio

Photograph by Andre Jenny

A brick house in Ohio's historic Zoar Village could soon be destroyed as part of a federal renovation plan.

Founded in 1817 by a group of separatists who fled Germany in search of religious freedom, Zoar Village is still home to nearly 200 people.

Though the town is protected from flooding by a 1930s-era levee, record floods in 2005 threatened the levee's integrity. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has started a three-year study to assess the levee's future, but one alternative under consideration is removing it entirely.

This would require the relocation of village residents or the demolition of 80 percent of the village.

"Not only does Zoar help to tell the story of immigration to the United States, it illustrates the history of settlement throughout this region," according to the National Trust.

(See "Biggest Floods in History—Does Mississippi Make the List?")

Published June 8, 2012

Bridges of Yosemite Valley, California

Photograph courtesy Jim M. Goldstein

Snow covers Stoneman Bridge in Yosemite National Park, California, against the backdrop of Half Dome, one of the park's most famous landmarks.

Stoneman Bridge is one of three bridges built in 1928 and 1932 that span the Merced River. Today the structures are being considered for removal as part of a comprehensive management plan by the National Park Service.

"A Merced River Management Plan should protect the river while preserving its iconic and historic bridges," according to the National Trust.

(Take a Yosemite quiz.)

Published June 8, 2012

Terminal Island, California

Photograph by LHB Photo/Alamy

The Compressor Building sits on the Port of Los Angeles's Terminal Island, which played a vital role during WWI and WWII as a major shipbuilding center.

The island's buildings are in danger of demolition as part of a 2011 city plan. But they should be protected because of their historical significance, according to the National Trust.

Published June 8, 2012

Princeton Battlefield, New Jersey

Photograph courtesy Jon Roemer

Visitors walk up the steps of the Princeton Battlefield Colonnade Memorial in Princeton, New Jersey. On this spot 235 years ago, George Washington rallied his forces to defeat British troops, a crucial turning point in the Revolutionary War.

A portion of the site now faces significant threats, however, including a 15-unit housing development for faculty of the nearby Institute for Advanced Study.

"As proposed, the project would radically alter the integrity of a rare, intact battlefield," according to the National Trust website.

Princeton Battlefield was nominated three years in a row before it was chosen for placement on the National Trust list, Meeks added.

"It finally broke through this year ... because this housing development that is the threat is getting closer to being a reality," she said.

(See "Coal Firms to Strip-Mine Historic Battlefield?")

Published June 8, 2012

Joe Frazier's Gym, Pennsylvania

Photograph courtesy Ben Leech

This three-story brick building in Philadelphia once served as a gym for Olympic boxer Joe Frazier—but is now a furniture store and two floors of vacant spaces.

The gym is unprotected and enjoys no formal historic designation. The National Trust hopes to raise $10,000 to cover the administrative costs of nominating it to both the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places.

That so many sites on this year's list played important roles in African American history is coincidental, Meeks noted.

"That was not intentional per se, but we have a commitment to doing everything that we can to make sure the list is reflective of the diversity of the community," she said.

(See pictures of Philadelphia's murals.)

Published June 8, 2012

Sweet Auburn Historic District, Georgia

Photograph courtesy Stan Kaady

A row of neglected commercial buildings on Auburn Street in the historic district of Atlanta, Georgia, could soon disappear, the National Trust warned.

Civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in the district, once known "as the richest negro street in the world," according to the National Trust. In decline since the 1980s, the district was featured in the Trust's list once before, in 1992.

"Without a preservation-focused revitalization plan, deterioration and inappropriate development may gravely impact its historic character," according to the National Trust website.

In addition to specific landmarks, this year's list includes two broad categories: U.S. post offices and Texas's historic courthouses.

Last year, the struggling U.S. Postal Service identified nearly 4,400 post offices that may be at risk of shutting their doors. By highlighting post offices, the National Trust hopes it will spur the U.S. Postal Service and other federal agencies to develop "a consistent, sensitive, and transparent process" for protecting historic buildings that are targeted for closure.

And Texas's courthouses, built in a variety of styles, from Romanesque to art deco, feature some of the finest works of public architecture in the state—and even the nation, according to the Trust. But many of the 244 county-owned courthouses have fallen into disrepair due to inadequate funding and maintenance.

(See your Texas pictures submitted to National Geographic's My Shot.)

Published June 8, 2012

Success Story: John Coltrane's Home, New York

Photograph courtesy NTHP

Featured by the National Trust in 2011, a home occupied by jazz musician John Coltrane in Dix Hills, New York, is now one of the most notable successes in the list's 25-year history.

The circa-1952 ranch-style house was threatened with demolition and redevelopment in 2003, but the building was saved after being purchased by the town and transferred to a preservation group and the Coltrane family.

"We put the house on the list last year to make the point that not every important place to save is grand architecture," Meeks said.

"And within just a couple of days, the local group that was working on saving the house received an anonymous check for $50,000."

(Also see pictures: "Best and Worst Historic Sites Rated [2008].")

Published June 8, 2012

Lost: Tiger Stadium, Michigan

Photograph by Paul Saneya, AP

Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan, is seen being dismantled on July 16, 2008.

Despite being featured on the National Trust list in 1991 and 1992, the stadium couldn't be saved and was eventually torn down in 2009.

The site was one of only ten in the list's 25-year history that have been lost, Meeks said.

Built in 1912, the stadium was once home to the Detroit Tigers, but it hosted its last Major League Baseball game on September 27, 1999.

(See Detroit pictures.)

Published June 8, 2012

Next: The 11 Most Endangered U.S. Historic Sites of 2011

Photograph by Mike De Sisti, Journal-Sentinel/AP

Published June 8, 2012