National Trust for Historic Preservation

“This exhibit explores the contradictions of Wilson’s legacy as it examines the intersections of his policies with place and people. And contradictions are what our country is made of.“ Last night, guests gathered at the Woodrow Wilson House in Washington, DC, to commemorate the opening of “Wilson’s Washington, America’s Struggle: Race and Civil Liberties in the Capital,” a new exhibit exploring the promises and challenges of American democracy during the Wilson era. National Trust Trustee, author, and professor emerita at Michigan Technological University, Kim Hoagland, provided opening remarks highlighting the importance of safeguarding and understanding historical contradictions, expanding the commemorative landscape, and continuing to tell the stories of all Americans. Now open to the public, “Wilson’s Washington, America’s Struggle: Race and Civil Liberties in the Capital” is supported by HumanitiesDC and includes contributions from over 25 DC museums, community partners, and cultural and educational institutions. Image 1: Kim Hoagland, National Trust Trustee. Image 6: Omar Eaton-Martínez, Senior Vice President for Historic Sites, national Trust Image 9: Elizabeth Karcher, Executive Director , President Woodrow Wilson House Plan your visit: https://ow.ly/S1sJ50XvIoQ

From charming and eclectic towns and burgs to heritage river towns, America’s historic areas are back welcoming you for day trips, weekend getaways, or more. Enjoy Main Streets, dining and shopping, rural bike rides, and fascinating tours and museums—all of which are included in Preservation magazine’s fall 2025 issue: https://ow.ly/h8by50XqsKG Pictured: Historic Main Street in St. Charles, Missouri Photo courtesy Discover St. Charles

“We are really redefining what land and history stewardship looks like. We are doing it in responsible ways and in service to our community.” Dr. Margaret Salazar-Porzio, executive director of Oatlands Historic House & Gardens, shares insights into the new strategic plan for this National Trust Historic Site in Leesburg, Virginia. Middleburg Life Magazine spoke with Salazar-Porzio about her path to leading Oatlands and the opportunities she sees for the site's future: https://ow.ly/SBsi50XsQ6X

The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation National Preservation Awards recognize and celebrate the "best of the best" in preservation projects across the country and are the highest national recognition bestowed upon a preservation project by the National Trust. Each winner of the 2025 awardee contributes in thoughtful and unique ways to strengthening its community. Lawson House provides affordable supportive housing in Chicago; Orange Mound Library and Genealogy Center helps fill a hunger for knowledge and family roots in Memphis, Tennessee; and The Battery in Philadelphia turned an eyesore into a thriving mixed-use development. Discover the preservation story behind each of these remarkable sites: https://ow.ly/jNpx50XqIRT Pictured: The Battery in Philadelphia Photo by Nathan Brown/Sentral

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation has completed the full rehabilitation of the humble, three-room clapboard house in Tryon, North Carolina, where Nina Simone learned to play piano! This project began in 2017 when the Action Fund partnered with artists Adam Pendleton, Ellen Gallagher, Julie Mehretu, and Rashid Johnson, who had collectively purchased the home, saving it from the threat of demolition. While the house is restored, it’s not yet open to the public. Now comes the next chapter: shaping the stories and experiences visitors will encounter, and working hand-in-hand with the Tryon community to ready this childhood home of a music icon and civil rights activist for its reopening. Explore the Nina Simone Childhood Home project and follow along for what comes next: https://ow.ly/Iu0o50Xt4ln

One of the cornerstones of historic preservation is the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the Section 106 consultation process. Section 106 ensures that federal agencies consider preservation values when proposing a project that may impact historic places, and it requires public input and feedback. Learn the basics of Section 106 and how it can be used to protect historic places in your community: https://ow.ly/RyS950Xr5ci And join our FREE webinar Defending the National Historic Preservation Act and Section 106 this Wesnesday, November 19 at 12p ET: https://ow.ly/ejmz50Xr5cj

Today, the circa-1920 Tenth Street Bridge (pictured in 1977) over the Missouri River in Great Falls, Montana, is a treasured local landmark. But its fate nearly turned out differently in the 1990s. After building a new, adjacent bridge in the late ’90s, the state planned to demolish the Tenth Street Bridge. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and local advocates took the matter to court, and after months of mediation, a public-private partnership granted the city of Great Falls ownership of the concrete arch structure. The nonprofit Preservation Cascade leads ongoing maintenance and preservation. The group finished a decade-long effort to replace failing balusters with historically accurate ones in time for the bridge’s 2020 centennial. It was renamed the Arlyne Reichert Community Heritage (ARCH) Bridge in 2021 to honor Preservation Cascade’s longtime president, who was known locally as “The Bridge Lady.” Recently, the city and a regional bank reached an agreement with a private landowner to open the bridge’s south entrance, which had long been inaccessible to those using the River’s Edge Trail. This recreational path is now connected via the ARCH Bridge. This feature is part of Flash Back, a series that highlights places of significance in the National Trust’s history. Photo by John Staub/Courtesy The History Museum/Great Falls, MT

From the outside, the former Immaculate Conception Church looks like a classic Gothic Revival landmark in Buffalo, New York’s Allentown Historic District. Step inside, and you’ll find something far more unexpected. For years, artist and designer Dennis Maher worked on demolition crews while also engaging architecture students through hands-on studios at the University at Buffalo, witnessing firsthand how many of the city’s historic buildings were being lost. He began collecting fragments and materials from demolition sites and transforming them into sculptures. That early work evolved into a creative practice that blurs the lines between art, architecture, preservation, and construction. Today, Maher directs The Assembly House, a nonprofit educational and cultural space housed inside the church structure. Here, students of all ages work alongside carpenters, masons, and stained-glass specialists to learn the fundamentals of preservation trades and craftsmanship. Discover how Maher’s vision and approach to preservation are building community and preparing a new generation of skilled craftspeople: https://ow.ly/KMS150XqwIu

Congratulations to the entire team at The Philip Johnson Glass House, a National Trust Historic Site in New Canaan, Connecticut for received a Residential Design Citation of Merit from Docomomo US at the Modernism in America Awards for the restoration of the Brick House! This restoration was an immense undertaking, and we are grateful to DOCOMOMO for the recognition. Pictured: Mark Stoner, AIA, Senior Director of Preservation Architecture, Graham Gund Architect, National Trust; and Kirsten Moffett Reoch, Executive Director of The Glass House.

From the outside, the former Immaculate Conception Church looks like a classic Gothic Revival landmark in Buffalo, New York’s Allentown Historic District. Step inside, and you’ll find something far more unexpected. For years, artist and designer Dennis Maher worked on demolition crews while teaching architecture at the University at Buffalo, witnessing firsthand how many of the city’s historic buildings were being lost. He began collecting fragments and materials from demolition sites and transforming them into sculptures. That early work evolved into a creative practice that blurs the lines between art, architecture, and preservation. Today, Maher directs The Assembly House, a nonprofit educational and cultural space housed inside the former Immaculate Conception Church. Here, students of all ages work alongside carpenters, masons, and stained-glass specialists to learn the fundamentals of preservation trades. Discover how Maher’s vision and approach to preservation are building community and preparing a new generation of skilled craftspeople: https://ow.ly/LU0t50XqwKv Pictured: Assembly House Reliquary Photo by Biff Henrich