Strategies to Save National Treasures

Abstract

Strategies to Save National Treasures David J. Brown (bio) National Treasures. From a preservation perspective, the name quickly brings up images of iconic homes of presidents and business titans, the hallowed ground of battlefields, and elegant established neighborhoods from Charleston to San Francisco. But what if America’s National Treasures also brought to mind the badly deteriorated studio of an internationally acclaimed potter, who moved to California to escape the madness of 1930s Europe? Or a small village that lays claim as the country’s most successful utopian community, but now faces threats from a weakened levee system? Or the last known Spanish-period waterworks remaining on American soil, threatened by a decades-old plan that would obliterate the historic landscape? Or a deteriorated baseball stadium that once hosted the greats of Negro League baseball. Four years ago, when the National Trust for Historic Preservation refocused in order to expand the scale and implications of its work, the National Treasures program was at the heart of a new strategic plan entitled Preservation10X. The plan was framed as a way to increase our work and influence by a factor of ten. The National Treasures portfolio was developed to guide the Trust in engagement at places that tell the broad story of America. The work has been focused where the preservation implications are national in scope, the threats are critical, and the National Trust can make a unique contribution to the preservation solution. The Trust built its portfolio beginning with places where it was already engaged, such as Charleston, Chimney Rock and the White Grass Dude Ranch in Grand Teton. Soon, however, the Trust staff reached out to partners and others to identify a broader collection of places that allowed us to focus on the national implications of preservation and tell a more diverse American story. Four years later, we have a revolving portfolio of more than 50 National Treasure sites that are the focus of National Trust advocacy campaigns. This issue of Forum Journal examines how [End Page 3] the National Trust and a variety of partners have saved—and yes, occasionally failed to save—America’s National Treasures. Click for larger view View full resolution Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom is an example of the National Trust’s outreach to new communities and preservation allies. This recently named National Treasure was the center of Richmond’s slave trade, which played a pivotal role during the peak years of the nation’s interstate slave trade. Much of Shockoe Bottom has been razed and paved over, nearly forgotten by mainstream historians. Nevertheless, for many descendants of the enslaved, Shockoe Bottom remains sacred ground associated with suffering, injustice and resistance to slavery. PHOTO BY DAVID HERRING Guided by more than 60 years of experience, we are taking direct action to protect these places and promote their history and significance, while collaborating with local preservationists to help advance the cause of preservation nationally. In this issue of Forum Journal, our authors identify strategies that have helped save these places that help define us as Americans. National Treasures represent the diversity of our nation’s built history and remind all of us of the importance of preserving the irreplaceable places that tell America’s stories. From historic buildings to cultural landscapes, National Trust National Treasures are unique, movement-defining places of action—some of them iconic, others less familiar—that will galvanize support and spark greater public understanding of how preservation contributes to vibrant communities. Pond Farm is one such National Treasure. A modest property in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley, Pond Farm was the home and studio of a nationally prominent ceramicist, Marguerite Wildenhain, who moved to America to escape Nazi persecution. Since Marguerite’s death in 1985, her home and barn have been unoccupied, and the elements and lack of routine maintenance have taken their toll. Pond Farm is located in Austin Creek State Recreation Area, and the ongoing funding crisis for California State Parks [End Page 4] continues to pose a direct threat to Pond Farm’s survival. Across the country, similar places that tell the stories of endurance and triumph are struggling for survival as government funding for preservation evaporates. Several...