While I was living abroad in Milan last spring, the best memories from class were the numerous field trips we took.
Rather than listening to lectures about Italian opera, we toured the famous opera house La Scala, visited Giuseppe Verdi’s home and wandered through an opera museum.
The best type of learning comes from experiencing history. While Europe is generally adept at preserving historical structures, the United States could use a bit more help.
This week, the National Trust for Historic Preservation released their list of the 11 Most Endangered landmarks around the United States.
Some of them, like the Chautauqua Amphitheater in Chautauqua, New York, or the Carrollton Courthouse in New Orleans, may not be familiar. But others, such as the Grand Canyon or Little Havana in Miami hold ongoing places in American culture and heritage.
It’s up to us as tourists and American citizens to remember our past when we travel in the U.S. Part of what makes the Vatican or Angkor Wat amazing is the longevity of the monuments and art that have managed to survive the onslaught of time, weather and shifts in political power.
Each of these structures are threatened in different ways. The Old Mint in San Francisco, which is also on the list, has fallen into disrepair and is not open to the public.
As one of the few structures to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire, it’s a monument to San Francisco’s beginnings as a mining boomtown.
The Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, are threatened by development. There are plans to build a $175 million project in the Historic District, the Star-Telegram reported.
Despite being on the National Register as a historic area, less than 10 percent of the buildings are protected from demolition. These stockyards are what brought Fort Worth from a frontier community to an academic and corporate hub.
My friends and I visited Little Havana less than a month ago, and went on a culinary tour exploring some of the restaurants, food stalls and fruit markets that make Calle Ocho a must-see.
Similar to Fort Worth, this Miami neighborhood is threatened by progress. According to the National Trust, Little Havana is in trouble due to its prime location.
The key to saving any of these landmarks depends on the voices of residents and visitors to stave off any plans or destruction of these landmarks. Even by making the National Trust’s list, there is a chance these places can be saved.
The Trust has been able to identify more than 250 endangered sites and has lost only a handful since they started publishing the most endangered list.
In order for us to understand American history and values we must first understand our past. By saving or repurposing these monuments, we maintain our history for generations to come.
wkiepura@indiana.edu
@wkiepura
