The Oldest Black Church in the U.S., the Wright Brothers’ Home and a New York Hospital Are Among the American Heritage Sites in Urgent Need of Preservation

For its “Irreplaceable America” list in honor of the 250th birthday of the U.S., the World Monuments Fund chose endangered historic sites of innovation, creativity and spirituality to publicize and support

Sonja Anderson | Daily Correspondent

July 2, 2026 1:54 p.m.

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The World Monuments Fund (WMF) just put out an urgent to-do list for preservationists in the United States. Entries include the country’s oldest surviving Black church, Spanish missions in New Mexico, Dallas City Hall and the entire city of New Orleans.

The WMF’s new project is “Irreplaceable America,” a list of 10 heritage sites in the U.S., released in conjunction with the country’s semisesquicentennial. According to a statement from the international nonprofit, the list contains endangered places “whose preservation is essential to the richness and complexity of American history.”

“The anniversary invites the country to reflect on the full sweep of American history, and we saw an important opportunity to ask an urgent question: Which places that embody that history are most at risk of being lost?” Jon Buono, the WMF’s regional director for the U.S. and Canada, tells Artnet’s Richard Whiddington. “Heritage is nonrenewable: Once a place is gone, the knowledge, memory, and meaning it carries cannot simply be recreated.”

The ten places were chosen from 75 submissions, which came from all over America. Each heritage site was judged by its cultural significance, the urgency of its conservation needs and the likely benefits of preserving it. As the Art Newspaper’s Elena Goukassian reports, the WMF will give each chosen site a year’s worth of consultation services and support, plus potential assistance with a future preservation project.

“There is a strong precedent for this model,” Buono tells Artnet. “The specific path will vary by site, but the goal is consistent: to turn recognition into tangible momentum.”

On the older side of the list are two Catholic churches in New Mexico, built in the 1600s. San Esteban del Rey and San José de Laguna were constructed by the Indigenous Acoma and Pueblo peoples, at the direction of oppressive Spanish conquistadors. Their adobe walls and 18th-century murals require care.

The colonial houses of Newport, Rhode Island, also appear on the list. Founded in 1639, the port city was a home for elite British colonists. The WMF cites climate- and weather-related concerns about the homes. Same goes for the sea-level, richly cultured city of New Orleans, which remains above water only because of levees and floodgates.

The WMF also calls out the country’s first specialty smallpox hospital, which stands on Roosevelt Island in New York City. Its 1850s masonry is in danger of collapse. Structural problems also plague the Black Mountain College Studies Building in North Carolina. The college was founded in 1933 near Asheville, and became a hub of progressive education. The Studies Building now requires water damage remediation and storm protection.

“The Black Mountain College Studies Building represents the best of American ingenuity, creativity and innovation,” says Matthew Crawford, chairman of the board of the Black Mountain College Studies Building Foundation. “Our restoration efforts will allow the next generation of architects, artists, musicians and creatives to make their mark as those who have come before them.”

Some of the list’s more modern additions include Dallas City Hall, designed by architect I. M. Pei (who also designed the Louvre pyramid), and Los Angeles’ 17 Watts Towers. The latter—sculptures of steel, concrete and seashells—were built between 1921 and 1955 by one visionary Italian immigrant.

“The United States was built by people from every corner of the globe, shaped by Indigenous nations, early settlers, immigrant communities and generations of cultural exchange,” says Bénédicte de Montlaur, WMF president and CEO, in the statement. “That complexity gave rise to some of America’s most enduring contributions, from colonial heritage to jazz and hip-hop and the Wright brothers’ invention of powered flight.”

Along with the ten chosen heritage sites, “Irreplaceable America” includes a special recognition for the U.S. National Park system, citing the agency's staffing challenges and a backlog of deferred maintenance. 

“Preserving America’s heritage depends on a broad network of institutions and communities working together to protect the places that matter most,” Buono says in the statement. “The NPS plays a central role in that system by managing national landmarks, administering federal preservation grants and helping establish standards for restoration and stewardship. At a time of growing pressure on heritage places nationwide, leadership remains essential.”

Sonja Anderson | Read More

Sonja Anderson is a daily correspondent for Smithsonian magazine who covers art, archaeology and culture, from newly discovered artifacts to the latest art heists.