African American Sites Among 26th Annual List of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places®

2013 List Includes the Mountain View Black Officers’ Club in Arizona and the Abyssinian Meeting House in Portland, Maine


Washington, DC – The National Trust for Historic Preservation has announced its 2013 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places®, an annual list that spotlights important examples of the nation’s architectural, cultural and natural heritage that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage.   Among the historic places with African American significance are:

Abyssinian Meeting House– Portland, Maine. The Meeting House was the spiritual center of life for generations of African Americans in Portland, but it needs an influx of funding to keep that story alive for generations to come.

Mountain View Black Officers’ Club– Fort Huachuca, Ariz. One of the few remaining World War II-era military service clubs in the United States built specifically for African-American officers, the Mountain View Black Officers’ Club faces demolition by the U.S. Army, which has blocked efforts to list the property in the National Register of Historic Places.

“For more than a quarter century, our list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places has called attention to threatened one-of-a-kind treasures throughout the nation and has galvanized local preservationists to help save them,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “From Gay Head Lighthouse on Martha’s Vineyard to Kake Cannery in Alaska, to the beloved one and two-room schoolhouses of Montana, this year’s list reflects the diversity of America, its historic places, and the variety of threats they face.  As it has over the past 26 years, we hope this year’s list inspires people to speak out for the important places in their own communities that help to define our nation’s past – and enrich its future.”


The remaining sites included on the 26th Annual List of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places® list are the Astrodome - Houston, TX; Chinatown House - Rancho Cucamonga, CA; Gay Head Lighthouse - Aquinnah, MA; Historic Rural Schoolhouses of Montana– Statewide; James River - James City County, VA; Kake Cannery - Kake, Alaska; San Jose Church - Old San Juan, Puerto Rico; Village of Mariemont - Cincinnati, Ohio; and Worldport Terminal at JFK Airport– Jamaica, New York.

Learn more about how you can support these 11 historic places and hundreds of other endangered sites at www.PreservationNation.org/places.

Press release/National Trust for Historic Preservation