Social Media

Preservation Round-Up: Found on Facebook Edition

Posted on: May 24th, 2012 by David Garber 2 Comments

Today's Preservation Round-Up is a selection of stories you alerted us to on our Facebook page. As much as we have our ear to the ground for local preservation stories and efforts around the country, we can't be everywhere at once, so we greatly appreciate your shares. Here are some recent posts worth checking out.

Historic Preservation Needs in Los Angeles

"I've just created a shared google map for alerting folks to historic preservation emergencies in their LA communities. Click to see what's in danger near you, and please add any place you are worried about which is not already on the map."

The Last Humble Gas Station

"Humble Oil was once the most important oil company in Texas with service stations stretched across the state and huge refineries that supplied both Texans and motorists across the country."

Massive Fergus Falls, Minnesota Hospital in Danger of Demolition

"What would you do with 700,000+ square feet of pretty much raw space? The Historic Fergus Falls State Hospital (now RTC) is in need of your ideas. No idea is too outlandish - what would you do with this building?"

Philadelphia's Historic St. Peter’s Church Needs You

"St. Peter’s is one of those places that makes you realize you can go home again. From her beautiful windows to the high boxes inside the church, to the climb up the stairs for a look out over the church yard, St. Peter’s is just a very cool place."

Kickstarter to Restore a Historic Building and Open a Coffee House

"I am trying to save this historic building and create a gathering place for the community and visitors! The Kickstarter project is to help raise the funds to complete the restoration of the building and create an outdoor space open to the public." ... Read More →

David Garber

David Garber is the Coordinator of Blog Content & Outreach at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He is a native of Washington, DC, and loves the intersection of preservation, innovation, and sustainability.

Celebrating 25 Years of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places

Posted on: May 7th, 2012 by National Trust for Historic Preservation 29 Comments

Wide open space: that's something North Dakota has a lot of. However, if you’ve ever explored this part of Big Sky Country, you know that the prairie – which seems to stretch and roll endlessly – is often punctuated by simple, yet remarkable church houses.

Built by first-generation settlers from Germany, Poland, Iceland, Russia, and Scandinavia, these structures served as the glue for rural life. By the early 2000s, though, many had seen better days – it was estimated that as many as 400 of the churches were vacant and directly threatened with demolition. Something had to be done.

In 2001, the prairie churches of North Dakota were added to the National Trust's list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. What ensued was a grassroots effort led by Preservation North Dakota that, to this day, works community by community to save these amazing treasures.

The rebirth of these prairie icons is one of hundreds of success stories born out of our annual endangered list. In fact, since its inception in 1988, the list has become one of the most effective tools for saving our country's architectural, cultural, and natural heritage. Of the 234 places that have been listed over the years, only a few have been lost. That's a track record worth celebrating, and this is the year to do it.

2012 marks the 25th anniversary of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. As we prepare for this year's announcement (save the date: Wednesday, June 6), we invite you to follow along online as we spotlight a quarter-century of people saving amazing places. Here's where you can find us:

Pinterest: Each Thursday, we'll create a board dedicated to a former listing that is back from the brink. Follow throughout the day as we curate tons of amazing photography, all snapped by people who are passionate about that place.
Twitter: Put your preservation knowledge to the test with trivia tweets about former listings. Keep an eye on hashtag #SavingPlaces for all the action.
Our Blog: Check back here each Tuesday for a special post on an 11 Most success story. We'll offer insight into how former listings were saved, and of course, some really awesome photos.
Facebook: Who doesn't like to be in the know? On Tuesday, June 5, we'll offer our fans an exclusive sneak peek at a place to be included on this year's endangered list.

Also, be sure to check out our website, which we've updated with one amazing story per year of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

Which of these places inspires you?

National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded non-profit organization, works to save America's historic places.

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Save the Date: Twitter Chat About Preservation Jobs is Wednesday, May 2

Posted on: April 30th, 2012 by Sarah Heffern

It's hard to believe, but it's almost Twitter chat time again! And, for the first time, we're revisiting an earlier topic: preservation jobs. With graduation season upon us, and many newly accredited preservation professionals looking for work, it seems worth discussing again. We'll be chatting about online resources for job hunting, work in fields tangential to preservation, the skills needed to succeed in preservation, and more. Come armed with your best job-hunting advice!

Preserving an ornamental iron fence in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo: ncpttmedia on Flickr)

The chat will take place this Wednesday, May 2, from 4:00-5:00 pm EDT. As always, we'll be hanging out at the #builtheritage hashtag. If you're new to the chat, here's how to get involved:

1. Sign in to Twitter, TweetDeck or TweetChat. We (the chat moderators) usually use TweetChat since it adds the hash tag automatically and allows for easy replies and re-tweets.

2. Follow and tweet with the hashtag #builtheritage.

3. Watch for the questions in the Q1 format. Provide answers using the A1 format, and interact with other participants using replies and retweets.

Oh, and what we mean by the Q1/A1 format is this: Questions (we usually have four per chat) are posed by the moderators as Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 about every 15 minutes. We ask that chatters reply with A1, A2, etc. to help everyone stay clear on what they’re responding to. A lot of side conversations and such still break out, but it helps keep things at least a little organized.

See you online on Wednesday!

Sarah Heffern is the social media strategist for the National Trust’s Public Affairs team. While she embraces all things online and pixel-centric, she’s also a hard-core building hugger, having fallen for preservation in a fifth grade “Built Environment” class.