Preservation Utah invites the public to nominate at-risk historical sites special to them for inclusion in the 2025 Most Endangered Historic Places List. The list aims to identify historic sites, buildings, and cultural resources currently facing potential demolition or collapse due to neglect, development, or natural disaster.
By finding and raising awareness about buildings or sites with significant historical or architectural value, Preservation Utah aims to mobilize communities, policymakers and stakeholders to support preservation efforts and prevent these treasures from being lost forever.
The Most Endangered Historic Places List is released every May during Preservation Month and “serves as a call to action to rally support, raise awareness and find preservation solutions [for these sites] before it’s too late,” according to Preservation Utah’s recent press release.
“We rely on the community to help us identify the places that need urgent advocacy,” said Brandy Strand, Executive Director of Preservation Utah. “Without nominations, we don’t know where to focus our efforts. If there’s a place you love and are worried about losing, now is the time to speak up.”
Preservation Utah’s considerations for which publicly nominated historical sites they feel they should add to the Most Endangered list include:
- Historic significance: Does the site have historical, cultural or architectural importance?
- Local support: Are there individuals or groups invested in its preservation?
- Urgency: Is the site at immediate risk due to neglect, development or natural disaster?
- Potential solutions: Could preservation efforts realistically save it?
- Representation: Does the site tell an important story from an underrepresented community?
“Utahns play a crucial role in shaping the future of preservation efforts across the state by nominating a site,” the release states. “The Most Endangered List has a proven track record of catalyzing restoration projects, generating media attention and prompting action from local leaders.”
This list is never ranked by a perceived level of value, and instead Preservation Utah impartially lists endangered sites alphabetically by county.
“While it is not feasible to save every building or structure, our mission at Preservation Utah is to save as many as possible, advocate for preservation in our state, and empower others to preserve Utah’s built history and cultural treasures,” their website states. “We ask that people in the surrounding neighborhoods and communities where these structures are located make their voices heard to help save these historic buildings and places.”
Utah residents are encouraged to submit nominations via Preservation Utah’s website by Monday, April 14. In addition to notifying the group about sites deserving concern, Preservation Utah advises all community members to reach out to local, state, or church leaders, form community groups, and interact with the media to advocate for saving local history. The group also provides information to help property owners understand how to protect their buildings.
At its establishment in 1966, Preservation Utah was the first statewide historic preservation organization in the western United States. Concerned citizens rallied to form the group as a volunteer, nonprofit advocacy organization “after witnessing the senseless and unchallenged demolition of significant historic places in Utah,” according to the website, and have since preserved many valued sites for education and reuse.
For more information, please call or email Preservation Utah or speak with Strand at 801-215-9533. Anyone can also sign up for their newsletter to receive information about current initiatives.
Author: Emily Walters
Photographer: Anna Mower
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
outdoors@suunews.net
