11 Most Endangered Historic Places in the U.S.

The National Trust has revealed this year’s list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, and they include sites across the U.S. in California, Florida, Texas, New York, and more.

Every year since 1988, the National Trust has released a list of America’s Most Endangered Historic Places to draw attention to each place and encourage preservation action. Since the list started, more than 350 endangered sites have been identified and supported, and only a few have been lost.

“Across the United States, compelling, meaningful historic sites are at risk, whether from natural disasters, underutilization, neglect, or lack of awareness,” Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure. “Each site on this year’s list has inspired passionate supporters from their surrounding communities to work together to save these cherished landmarks and repurpose them for the public, now and into the future. Their leadership shows the power of preservation to create stronger communities, energized local economies, and a healthier environment for everyone.”  

This year’s highlighted endangered sites are:

• Cedar Key, Florida: an archipelago of small islands that are under threat from rising sea levels and storms.
• French Broad and Swannanoa River Corridors, Western North Carolina: the region that includes Asheville and was severely damaged by Hurricane Helene in 2024.
• Hotel Casa Blanca, Idlewild, Michigan: a former hotel located in a historic Black resort community and has sat vacant for over 30 years.
• May Hicks Curtis House, Flagstaff, Arizona: the home of the woman who sewed the first Arizona state flag in 1911, which must be moved but needs to be preserved and rehabilitated.
• Mystery Castle, Phoenix: a building hand-constructed and designed by Boyce Luther Gulley, who lacked formal training, for his daughter in 1934-1945. The building has been unoccupied and neglected for several years. 
• Oregon Caves Chateau, Caves Junction, Oregon: an important lodge located within the Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve and has been closed since 2018 due to its need for extensive repairs and restoration. 
• Pamunkey Indian Reservation, King William County, Virginia: home of the Pamunkey people for 15,000 years, which is threatened by rising sea levels and increasing storms.
• San Juan Hotel, San Juan, Texas: a former boarding house built in 1920 and in need of rehabilitation. 
• Terminal Island Japanese American Tuna Street Buildings, Los Angeles: the only two buildings that remain on a street that was the center of a vibrant Japanese American fishing village before the community was forcibly removed during World War II; the buildings are in need of protection from a threatened demolition. 
• The Turtle, Niagara Falls, New York: also known as the Native American Center for the Living Arts, which has sat vacant for nearly 30 years.
• The Wellington, Pine Hill, New York: a hotel that is a surviving example of the large-scale wood-frame resorts that were common in the Catskills in the late 19th century.