One of the United States' most famous natural wonders, the Grand Canyon is on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2015 list of America's 11 most endangered historic places. The trust says the proposed Escalade tourist development includes an aerial tramway that would transport 10,000 visitors a day to the site where the Colorado and Little Colorado rivers meet, a site that is sacred to several American Indian tribes. Park officials and the Navajo, who are leading the development, disagree about where each side has jurisdiction in the area.
Alan English
Little Havana, Miami —
Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, the heart of the city's post-Castro Cuban immigrant population, is now a mix of Latin American cultures. But the neighborhood could be altered by zoning changes and a lack of protection for many important buildings.
National Trust for Historic Preservation
A.G. Gaston Motel, Birmingham, Alabama —
The A.G. Gaston Motel in Birmingham, Alabama, which was built to welcome African-American guests during segregation, once hosted Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders. It's now vacant and in need of serious repair, and the city wants to make a restored structure part of an urban renewal plan for the area.
City of Birmingham
The Factory, West Hollywood, California —
Built in 1929 to house a camera company, the Factory in West Hollywood, California, became most famous in 1974 when it opened as Studio One, a gay disco. The venue featured celebrity performers and became a hub of AIDS activism. A new development threatens to demolish the historic site.
Hunter Kerhart
Carrollton Courthouse, New Orleans —
Before the city of Carrollton was annexed by New Orleans in 1874, the Carrollton Courthouse served Jefferson Parish. Later used as a school building, it is a significant landmark -- but sits vacant and for sale, with no protection to preserve its character.
National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Chautauqua Amphitheater, Chautauqua, New York —
A beloved National Historic Landmark that has welcomed spectators for well over 100 years, the "Amp" is threatened by the Chautauqua Institution's plans to demolish it. A vote on the plan has been delayed from February to August.
Dick Jensen
Fort Worth Stockyards, Fort Worth, Texas —
Though the Fort Worth Stockyards has real cowboys, real cattle and lots of visitors who want to experience the American livestock industry and shop and dine there, the trust says a $175 million redevelopment project would alter the district's character.
National Trust for Historic Preservation
East Point Historic Civic Block, East Point, Georgia —
The heart of downtown East Point since the 1930s, the East Point Historic Civic Block includes a city hall, library, auditorium and park that form a contiguous block that may be lost by neglect. The East Point Preservation Alliance is fighting to preserve the block and has convinced state preservation officials to list it on the Georgia Trust's "Places in Peril" list.
Halston Pitman
Oak Flat, Superior, Arizona —
A site sacred to the San Carlos Apache and other Native American nations, Oak Flat had been protected for decades until last year. Members of Congress tucked a land swap into the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015 that gives Resolution Copper Mining 2,400 acres of copper-filled land in exchange for the U.S. Forest Service getting 5,300 acres of the company's private land elsewhere. Though Resolution Copper is expected to start construction on the site by mid-2020, the San Carlos Apache have been protesting there to stop the plans.
Kevin Cassadore
Old U.S. Mint, San Francisco —
Constructed in 1874, the Old U.S. Mint is one of a few buildings in San Francisco to survive the devastating 1906 earthquake and subsequent fire. It's a National Historic Landmark, and the federal government transferred ownership of the building to the city in 2003, but a nonprofit failed in its 11-year effort to develop a history museum at the site. The mint's historic structure is at risk due to neglect.
Sanfranman59
South Street Seaport, New York —
Home of Manhattan's early maritime industry, the South Street Seaport today features shops, dining and events tucked into some of the city's finest historic architecture. But local preservation groups are fighting a tower and other development proposals that would change the neighborhood's character.
