Just in time for America's 250th birthday party — because apparently that's where we are now — the World Monuments Fund (WMF) has dropped its latest list of U.S. sites desperately needing a facelift, or perhaps a full structural intervention. These aren't just pretty old buildings; they’re the places that tell America’s gloriously messy, complex story. And without some serious TLC, they're not long for this world.
From the oldest Black church in the U.S. to colonial homes currently auditioning for a role in a disaster movie starring rising sea levels, the list is a grab bag of history. But one entry, in particular, should make anyone who’s ever admired a Rothko or tapped their foot to John Cage sit up and pay attention.
The Ghost of Artistic Revolutions Past
Behold, the Studies Building at Black Mountain College in North Carolina. This isn't just a building; it's practically hallowed ground for anyone interested in modern art. Imagine a place where Robert Rauschenberg, Kenneth Noland, and Ruth Asawa all sharpened their pencils and probably broke a few rules. That was Black Mountain College.
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Start Your News DetoxInspired by the Bauhaus movement, it was an experimental playground. Walter Gropius, Josef Albers, and Anni Albers were basically the coolest art teachers you could ever imagine. Then you had actual legends like composer John Cage and choreographer Merce Cunningham just, you know, hanging out. Cunningham even staged one of the very first "Happenings" there in 1952 – which, if you think about it, is both impressive and slightly terrifying. The college, sadly, ran out of money five years later. Because, art.
Today, the Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center in Asheville is doing its best to keep the spirit alive, archiving, exhibiting, and generally reminding us that genius once walked those halls. But the actual building? It needs help.
More Than Just Bricks and Mortar
The WMF’s list isn't just about art history, though. It includes the African Meeting House in Boston, the nation's oldest surviving Black church, which was basically ground zero for the abolitionist movement. Then there are those colonial homes in Newport, Rhode Island, which are beautiful examples of early American architecture now facing an existential threat from the ocean itself.
And let's not forget Dallas City Hall, a brutalist masterpiece by I. M. Pei, currently fending off private development and the kind of repair costs that make accountants weep. The WMF even gave a shout-out to the 430 sites within the National Park System, because apparently, even national treasures need a little extra love.
Bénédicte de Montlaur, WMF president and CEO, summed it up perfectly: America’s story is a wild mix of Indigenous nations, early settlers, and immigrant communities, leading to everything from colonial heritage to jazz, hip-hop, and the invention of flight. Protecting these places isn't just about preserving old stuff; it's about remembering who we are. And maybe, just maybe, making sure future generations can still see where those “Happenings” actually happened.
