On June 26, 2018, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced that two iconic historic places in Maryland have been added to America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The listing is a call to action for all Marylanders.
endangered: Annapolis, maryland national historic landmark district
Since its listing as a National Historic Landmark District in 1965, Annapolis has remained one of the most intact and authentic colonial towns in the entire nation. The key to the success of Annapolis has been the reasonable and carefully enforced historic district guidelines which have protected the irreplaceable buildings and unparalleled views. The current proposal to re-zone portions of the historic district to allow for incompatible, large-scale development on the historic waterfront threatens to upend this multi-generational effort to protect Annapolis’ exceptional heritage.
endangered: George Washington’s Mount Vernon historic Maryland viewshed
For more than 200 years, the Maryland landscape that once inspired George Washington has remained largely unspoiled. But now, Mount Vernon’s protected historic viewshed, viewed by more than one million people each year, may be lost forever.
Dominion Energy plans to construct a natural gas compressor station, with stacks that could reach as tall as 113 feet, directly across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon in Maryland — an act that could damage the pristine landscape that has changed little in the last two centuries. The planned station, to be built in Charles County, Maryland and adjacent to Piscataway National Park bordering land that is protected under conservation easements.
Support this Work
Preservation Maryland stands united with national, regional and local partners in supporting the efforts to protect these iconic historic resources. The listing of these two Maryland resources is a call to action for all preservationists and underscores the ongoing need for the work of Preservation Maryland — an organization which works tirelessly to save places like Annapolis and Washington’s viewshed.