FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Andi Martin,
Marketing and Public Relations Manager
andi.martin@ahc.alabama.gov, 334-230-2680
September
1, 2020
Deadline Approaching to Nominate Properties to “Places
in Peril” 2020
(Montgomery, AL) Alabamians have just one
month to submit nominations to “Alabama’s Places in Peril” listing for
threatened or endangered properties. Since 1994, the Alabama Historical Commission and
the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation have joined
forces to sponsor Places in Peril, an annual program that
highlights significant endangered properties, bringing public awareness of impending
threats to these cultural resources. One goal of Places in Peril is to
foster a coalition of preservationists who will collectively advocate for a
threatened resource; the alliance is then able to posture the structure’s
significance to the community at large, creating momentum that yields protection
for the site. Over the course of 25 years, the program has highlighted more
than 250 resources. The deadline for nominations is October 1, 2020.
Any type of building, ruin, site, or place is
eligible for nomination. Places in Peril has listed theaters,
schools, caves, jails, churches, and houses. The application requires brief,
but clear answers to a handful of questions regarding a property’s significance,
threat, and the designation of a local contact and local advocacy group with
the capacity to leverage the support and coverage provided by the listing.
Property owner permission and current, good quality photographs of the property
are also required.
“Places in Peril is an immensely
valuable program to elevate and streamline preservation efforts for sites
across our state that are under the threat of demolition or deterioration.
These campaigns have been successful in saving cherished places for future
generations,” said Lisa Demetropoulos
Jones, Executive Director, Alabama Historical Commission and
State Historic Preservation Officer.
“The Places in
Peril program is a perfect opportunity to inspire communities to rally together
to save vulnerable structures. Not only are these places worth saving, their
stories are, too,” said Eddie Griffith, Alabama Historical Commission
Chairman. “Over the years that Places in Peril has highlighted the plight
of threatened properties, their recognition through this program has
inspired their restoration carrying their stories forward to future generations
of Alabamians.”
"The
Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation is pleased to continue its partnership
with the Alabama Historical Commission on this important project,” said Katie
Randall, Vice President, Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation. “We
realize now more than ever the importance of saving places that represent all
Alabamians, places that tell the whole story of our state, especially those
that represent the lives of the marginalized and the historically
disenfranchised. By recognizing the most endangered places in our state and
bringing their stories to light, we hope to advocate for a better and more
equitable Alabama for all."
New for 2020, the nomination period for Places in
Peril opened on May 1st to coincide with National Historic Preservation
Month, a nationwide movement to celebrate and promote historic places and
heritage tourism. Preservation Month began as
National Preservation Week in 1973. In 2005, the National Trust for Historic
Preservation expanded the celebration to an entire month to provide more
opportunity to celebrate the diverse and unique heritage of our cities and
towns.
Alabama Heritage has graciously reinstalled the annual Places in
Peril article in the Spring Issue, aligning with National Historic
Preservation Month in May.
AHC is pleased to continue its partnership
with Alabama Heritage to publish Alabama’s Places in Peril
listing, reaching a key constituency in the state. “We have been a proud
partner with Places in Peril for more than two decades,” said Donna
Baker, Editor-in-Chief, Alabama Heritage. “We are committed to doing
what we can to save our state's historical landmarks, architectural
treasures, and valuable relics of our ancestral past. Our subscribers eagerly
look for the Places in Peril article each year and have been inspired to
save a number of vital places.”
For
questions about the program, or how to nominate a site, please contact Jake
Williams at 334.230.2691 or Jake.Williams@ahc.alabama.gov.
Nomination
forms are located on the Places in Peril page on the Alabama
Historical Commission’s website: https://ahc.alabama.gov/placesinperil.aspx. Nominations should be made
electronically to Jake Williams.
About Alabama Heritage Magazine
Alabama
Heritage
is an award-winning, quarterly, print magazine first published during the
summer of 1986. Our mission is to educate, inspire, and entertain with stories
of Alabama’s history and culture with lively, colorful articles about the
fascinating people, places, and events that helped shape Alabama and the South.
Learn more at alabamaheritage.com.
About the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation
The Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation (ATHP)
is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. The Alabama Trust operates with a
dedicated volunteer board of directors. Its primary mission is to protect
places of historic and cultural significance and to preserve and promote for
future generations the stories of all people who built, lived in and created
these places.
About the Alabama Historical Commission
Located in historic downtown
Montgomery at 468 S. Perry Street, the Alabama Historical Commission is the
state historic preservation agency for Alabama. The agency was created by an
act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission to protect,
preserve and interpret Alabama’s historic places. AHC works to accomplish its
mission through two fields of endeavor: Preservation and promotion of
state-owned historic sites as public attractions; and, statewide programs to
assist people, groups, towns, and cities with local preservation activities.
For a complete list of programs and properties owned and operated by the AHC,
hours of operation, and admission fees please visit ahc.alabama.gov.
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