Forumjournal Winter 2015 | Vol

ForumJournal winter 2015 | Vol. 29 No. 2

Strategies for Saving National Treasures National Treasures Program Strategies for Engaging Diverse Communities

Tanya Bowers

he National Trust is committed to making preservation relevant to all people, and many of its National Treasures Tprojects reflect the underappreciated or lesser-known parts of our history. Strategies to save these sites involve working with new partners and new constituencies, taking a fresh look at how sites are interpreted, and bringing previously untold stores to light. Here are some examples:

Fort Monroe, Hampton Roads, Virginia Thanks to the involvement of a new constituency, the historic churches established by Freedom Seekers in Virginia, Fort Monroe, located in Hampton, Virginia, gained national recognition. In addition to its military importance as a Union stronghold during the Civil War, the fort was also a haven where some 500,000 once-enslaved people gathered for protection. A National Trust intern, Monica Rhodes, researched the history of the churches these Freedom Seekers established near Fort Monroe, then reached out to the churches’ current pastors. She persuaded eight ministers to sign a joint letter to President Obama urging him to designate Fort Monroe as a National Monument. The pastors’ letter got the attention of the White House and confirmed the close connections

In 2011 President Obama named Fort Monroe a National Monument. Supporters were on hand for the signing, including current pastors of churches located near the fort that were established by the Freedom Seekers. Photo by Pete Souza/ official WHite House photo

ForumJournal WINTER 2015 39 Engaging community leaders was important in efforts to have Chimney Rock designated as a National Monument. Photos by Tobias Hoellrich

between the history of Fort Monroe and the contemporary lives of African Americans in the surrounding community.

Chimney Rock, New Mexico and Texas Chimney Rock holds great spiri- tual significance for more than 20 pueblos of New Mexico and Texas. Other Native American tribes who live nearby, but do not claim a direct affiliation, also recognize Chimney Rock as a site of great sacred importance. Each pueblo and tribe is a sovereign nation. The National Treasures team cold-called the affected tribes to gauge their level of interest in designating Chimney Rock as a National Monument; approximately half the tribes sent a letter of support to the White House. Partners such as Crow Canyon Archaeological Center helped the National Treasures team reach out to tribal leaders that they had worked with on a regular basis. Formal letters were sent to them via fax, email, and mail, followed by multiple phone calls. The biggest payoff came when the pueblos overarching political entity—the All Indian Pueblo Council (AIPC)— worked with the team on advocacy efforts. These outreach efforts worked. On September 21, 2012, AIPC Chairman Chandler Sanchez gave an opening prayer at the Chimney Rock National Monument designation event. Several hundred partici- pants from numerous tribes and pueblos, local environmental groups, the chamber of commerce and preservation partners heard him reflect on Chimney Rock’s importance and his satisfaction with the government-to-government consultation the Obama Administration provided.

ForumJournal WINTER 2015 40 Pond Farm, Sonoma County, California Pond Farm, the Sonoma County home and studio of Marguerite Wildenhain, a Bauhaus-trained potter, author and teacher is considered to be one of the most accomplished 20th-century ceramicists in the United States. Wildenhain fled Jewish persecution in Nazi Germany and Holland to start a new life in a remote Northern California outpost. Potential partners dedicated to preserving and revitalizing this National Treasure included those interested in Jewish heritage as well as in art history and women’s history. Through networking with Jewish institutions and philanthropists, the National Treasures team discovered that the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco planned to feature Pond Farm in a major exhibit called “Designing Home: Jews and Midcentury Modernism.” Related activities of the museum included a special event for donors cohosted by the California State Parks Foundation, lectures about Pond Farm, and a tour of the site.

Antiguo Acueducto Del Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico It is vital to develop trust about historic preservation by working respectfully with potential partners. “Remember the resource in question has identity in its own right, and it is not the object of the lead organization [in this case National Trust] to co-opt the site,”

The National Trust is working with its partners to advocate for the protection of the Antiguo, Acueducto del Rio Piedras, including developing a website and preparing a media campaign. Photos courtesy para la naturaleza

ForumJournal WINTER 2015 41 advises Nancy Tinker, project manager for Antiguo Acueducto del Río Piedras in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This late 19th– early 20th– century complex comprising a dam, water treatment systems, and workers housing played a crucial role in the city’s development. Now the historic integrity of the structures and setting are threat- ened by redevelopment efforts underway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The National Treasures team has been working with partners in multiple ways to advocate for protection of the site, including developing a website and preparing letter-writing and media campaigns. Appropriately, the National Treasures team has chosen to refer to the San Juan Waterworks by its Spanish name, “acueducto.” Additionally, given that much of the target audience for this advocacy effort is Spanish speaking, the acueducto’s National Treasure’s webpage appears in both English and Spanish— a first for the National Treasures program.

Hinchliffe Stadium, Patterson, New Jersey Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey, a Works Progress Administration building, is where the Negro Leagues played before the integration of professional baseball. The leagues included numerous Latino players; in fact, one team was called the New York Cubans. Today Paterson’s Latino population (56.9 percent) exceeds its black population (29.5 percent).1 A recent effort to clean up the abandoned and neglected site, organized by the National Treasures team, was highly successful in rallying Paterso- nians, other Jerseyites and New Yorkers including Latino and African American students and

In April 2014, a group of 700 volunteers, including Latino and African American students, flocked to Hinchliffe Stadium to remove graffiti, pull weeds, and apply fresh paint. Photo by Duncan Kendall

ForumJournal WINTER 2015 42 community members—creating the Trust’s most diverse and largest volunteer event. The project was publicized to varied local nonprofit organizations, using a contact list developed by the local steering committee. The committee included members of the local preservation commission which is noted for its broad racial and ethnic diversity. Volunteers spread the word; some even donated money. The media campaign included radio advertisements on a jazz station, three weeks of promotional ads, and publicity efforts that led to more than 400 print and on-air stories about the stadium (5 percent of which were in media specifically targeted to Latino audiences). On the clean-up day, in April 2014, some 700 volunteers, organized through the National Trust’s Hands-on Preservation Experience (HOPE) Crew program, flocked to the sports venue to remove graffiti, pull weeds, and apply two fresh coats of paint. Although the event was promoted as an opportunity to learn professional painting skills, the project also brought community members together to support their history and heritage.

Villa Lewaro, Irvington, New York Brent Leggs, senior field officer for the National Trust and project manager for Villa Lewaro says that if volunteers from diverse communities are going to contribute to the advocacy strategy, “you have to be intentional” in recruiting them. Efforts to promote the preservation and continued use of Villa Lewaro, former mansion of Madam C.J. Walker, America’s first female millionaire, have been aimed at both female and African American audiences. At a recently held visioning workshop, real estate developers, entrepre- neurs, preservationists and consultants were recruited to identify financially sustainable appropriate reuses for the African American cosmetics entrepreneur’s Irvington, New York, residence. The Trust broke new ground by explicitly seeking the participation of accomplished African Americans, and the panel of nine continues to champion this project. Options they proposed include converting the mansion and grounds into a spa, an events venue or a technology center. To engage wider interest in the history and the future of the

ForumJournal WINTER 2015 43 The National Trust along with its partners is exploring new uses for the Villa Lewaro, the home of cosmetics and business pioneer Madam C.J. Walker. Photo by David Bohl site, several bloggers with national and international followings were invited to tour the site after the workshop, including award- winning writer Claire Sulmers of Fashion Bomb Daily (blog for the “multicultural fashionista”) and other female bloggers who specialize in writing about women’s issues and entrepreneurship.

Haas Lilienthal House, San Francisco, California The use of minority and immigrant labor to build and run the grand places of America’s elite is a prevalent theme at historic sites across the country. At the Haas Lilienthal House, an 1886 Queen Anne Revival urban historic house museum now undergoing “rein- vention” with help from the National Treasures team, interpretation will be expanded to include the little-known stories of its immigrant servants and Chinese housekeeper. Brian Turner notes that more inclusive interpretive programming that tells the story of minority communities’ contributions to historic sites can be an effective way to building a broader coali- tion of consitutents. He feels that it is only to a site’s detriment to shy away from telling the true story of the historic division of labor, which was often based on racial and ethnic lines. Newer and younger audiences, he suggests, are very eager to learn more about the story of the proverbial “little guy.” Anthony Veerkamp, director of the San Francisco Field Office, suggests that we can

ForumJournal WINTER 2015 44 The Haas Lilienthal House conveys the role of Jewish immigrants in the development of the American West. The National Trust worked behind the scenes with the house owner, San Francisco Architectural Heritage, to ensure the long-term sustainability of this unique house musem. Photo by Jeff scott

overcome a perceived lack of relevance by “introducing audiences to historic preservation and historic sites through the portals that feel comfortable to them, engaging the community directly in programming that incorporates living culture such as mural painting, traditional music and food festivals.” Researching an area’s historic and current demographic make- up is key, but Turner warns, “Don’t assume that just because a resource is important to a group’s history that it will be broadly supported [by that group today].” What might have once been an important cultural center may change status if the community historically associated with it no longer lives in the vicinity. But sometimes this allows for a new, different demographic group to take a vested interest in the site’s history and preservation.

Houston Astrodome, Texas Members of diverse communities may be good prospects to engage in advocacy efforts if they live near a significant site or are involved in activities there, whether or not these groups were originally associated with the site. Project manager Beth Wiedower discovered this as she worked to save the Houston Astrodome. Given this National Treasure’s location in the country’s most diverse city and its function, until recently, as a sports and enter- tainment venue enjoyed by many segments of the population, it was natural to try to involve diverse communities in generating support for the reuse of this post-modernist structure. While there was not, at first, a specific strategy aimed at engaging Houston and Harris County’s diverse communities, involving these groups became a critical part of building a political

ForumJournal WINTER 2015 45 campaign to promote preservation of the site. The National Trea- sures team looked comprehensively at the area’s demographic make-up: race and ethnicity, socioeconomic, age distribution, sexual orientation/gender identity, political affiliation and geography (downtown versus suburban). The team is now very conscious about reaching diverse audiences. The messaging is now more strategic, particularly pitched to those groups who have not traditionally had a relationship with the state historic preservation office (SHPO) or the state/local preservation partner.

Joe Frazier’s Gym, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Telling the full story of American history, in all its parts, matters, Turner says, not just to leave future generations the most accurate representation of how all people lived, but also as an issue of human rights. He explains: “The right of people to access their history builds community, pride, and provides a basic sense of belonging in a world that may have otherwise felt harsh and exclusive. The appeal to majority communities must be to this point: that we all deserve to have our stories told in order to live in a fair and just society.” One good example of wide engagement can be seen in the efforts to preserve and find a new use for Joe Frazier’s Gym in Philadelphia. The building where the world heavy-weight champion and gold-medal winner trained is viewed as a cultural treasure by African Americans in his hometown of Philadelphia, but much work to save it has also been accomplished by allies who are white. Temple University students’ initial research and documentation served as a catalyst. Heritage Consulting Group, a preservation consulting firm with offices in Philadelphia and Seattle, wrote the National Register nomina- tion (now pending).

The input of the local community has been critical to assessing the opportunities for rehabilitating and reusing the Joe Frazier Gym in Philadelphia. Photo by ben leech

ForumJournal WINTER 2015 46 Rosenwald Schools not only tell the story of African American education, they also tell the story of a Jewish-African American partnership, which has engaged a mixed national constituency.

The Philadelphia chapter of the Urban Land Institute next convened a panel of real estate professionals to assess opportunities for rehabilitating and reusing the modest, three-story brick building, and invited varied stakeholders, including members of the local community, to provide input. Champions for preservation were chiefly concerned that the gym protect Frazier’s legacy. But two African American activists in their 60s provided another point of view. Putting the preservation of Frazier’s gym into the context of local African American history, they reminded the panel that enough of Philadelphia’s African American physical fabric had already been lost, and to lose another landmark would be an injustice. Understanding that this cultural treasure is a neighbor- hood anchor, they want it to remain a community resource.

Rosenwald Schools The Rosenwald Schools Initiative, now also a National Treasures project, is another cause that has wide appeal across many segments of the population. During 1912–1932, thanks to a partnership between Booker T. Washington of Tuskegee Institute and Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenwald, more than 5,300 schools, vocational shops and teacher’s homes were built across 15 states to provide desperately needed educational facilities for African American children in the segregated South. Since 2002 the National Trust has been working with local grassroots activists and Rosenwald School alumni, professional preservationists, historians, and other interested individuals, including Rosenwald family members, to

ForumJournal WINTER 2015 47 help identify, preserve and develop new uses for these important community buildings. While largely a story of African American education and uplift, this is also a story of Jewish–African American partnerships, then and now. This National Treasures project has developed organically to engage a mixed national constituency. That’s because “the Rosenwald School story is more than just an African American or Jewish American story. It is a story of social justice, deeply woven into the rich, multicultural fabric that is American history, that transcends race, and has huge appeal to the broad spectrum of our citizenry,” says Tracy Hayes, Rosenwald Schools project manager. For that matter one doesn’t have to be of a particular back- ground to advocate for a diverse preservation project. Hayes encourages all involved in preservation to be open to learning about and building their understanding of the cultural communities with whom they will be working. She urges, “Help empower those communities to think broadly in their work, placing their resource in the larger context.”

Conclusion Recognition of the vital roles played by diverse communities in creating, using and influencing America’s historic places will continue to be a priority for the National Treasures program. “The National Trust has made steps forward in demonstrating the contributions of minority groups by offering a platform to have the discussion [about this],” Brian Turner says. “And in doing so we have increased awareness of what our country’s history is truly composed of.” FJ

Tanya Bowers is the director of diversity at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

1 www.newjersey-deomgraphics.com/paterson

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