Announcing the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places List

On May 7, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named the French Broad and Swannanoa River Corridors to the 2025 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

This designation comes in light of Western North Carolina’s state of recovery in the 7 months since Tropical Storm Helene made landfall in the mountain region. “We all witnessed the devastation that Tropical Storm Helene wrought throughout North Carolina, and we can’t turn away from these communities as they recover, rebuild, and plan for a resilient future,” said Carol Quillen, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Since 1988, the National Trust has used its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places to raise awareness about the threats facing some of the nation’s greatest treasures. Now in its 38th year, the National Trust’s annual list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places has proven to be a highly effective tool for shining a light on the threats facing our nation’s greatest treasures. Due to the efforts of the National Trust and its passionate supporters, the ongoing initiative has galvanized public support behind more than 350 sites to date with only a handful lost.

The 11 Most Endangered program uplifts and catalyzes community-led preservation work through a high-impact public awareness campaign resulting in increased visibility, public attention, and new resources to save and activate historic places for the public good.

This year’s list exemplifies how preservation is about creating something new, spotlighting efforts to repurpose historic buildings and activate them to serve their communities in new ways. The collection of places on this list also helps illustrate how resilience and recovery are intertwined with preservation and emphasizes the economic benefits that come with revitalization.

While the lasting impacts of Helene are quite evident to those of us who live in the region, recognition from the National Trust is a significant step towards renewing and sustaining national attention and support for our recovering communities.