PRESERVE AMERICA COMMUNITIES

Preserve America is a White House initiative in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the U.S. Departments of Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Education; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities; and the President’s Council on Environmental Quality.

Preserve America Communities and Neighborhoods
Communities may apply for special designation as a Preserve America Community, which recognizes communities that:

• protect and celebrate their heritage;
• use their historic assets for economic development and community revitalization; and
• encourage people to experience and appreciate local historic resources through education and heritage tourism programs.

Benefits of designation include:

• White House recognition;
• a certificate of recognition;
• a Preserve America Community road sign;
• eligibility for Preserve America grants;
• authorization to use the Preserve America logo on signs, flags, banners, and promotional materials;
• listing in a Web-based Preserve America Community directory;
• inclusion in national and regional press releases;
• official notification of designation to State tourism offices and visitor bureaus; and
• enhanced community visibility and pride.

Because larger metropolitan areas tend to have distinct historic neighborhoods that are essentially communities within larger urban areas, the Preserve America Community program was expanded July 26, 2005, to include the Preserve America Community Neighborhood program. In this program, neighborhoods in metropolitan areas with populations greater than 200,000 persons are also eligible for designation. For more information, visit the program website at www.preserveamerica.gov/index.html.

2008 Preserve America Grants

Round 1
Southern Otero County Rural Resources Survey
Otero County, Colorado
$50,000
Otero County will survey private lands in Southern Otero County in an effort to develop heritage tourism with the involvement of local ranchers – the primary landowners. The survey will include an historic context and thematic study based upon the archeological and architectural findings of the survey teams and will result in the listing of properties on the National Register of Historic Places.

Redstone Coke Ovens Education and Interpretation Program
Pitkin County, Colorado
$25,000
Pitkin County will develop an education and interpretive program for the Redstone Coke Ovens Historic Park. The program will educate the public, direct foot and car traffic, and promote the site throughout the community.

Using Historic Theaters to Promote Southeast Colorado Historic Sites
Prowers County, Colorado
$50,000
Prowers County, in partnership with the Southeast Colorado Regional Heritage Taskforce representing several other Southeast Colorado Preserve America communities, will develop a series of film shorts on the heritage sites in the region. Featured sites will include Camp Amache National Historic Landmark, Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, and Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site. The films will be shown prior to first-run commercial films in the historic movies theaters in the region, and will encourage audiences to visit the historic sites located in their backyards.

Preserve America Presidential Award

The Preserve America Presidential Awards are four annual awards given to organizations, businesses, government entities, and individuals for:

• exemplary accomplishments in the sustainable use and preservation of cultural or natural heritage assets;
• demonstrated commitment to the protection and interpretation of America’s cultural or natural heritage assets; and
• the integration of these assets into contemporary community life, and combination of innovative, creative, and responsible approaches to showcasing historic resources in communities.

2004 Preserve America Presidential Awards for Private Preservation

Historic Beaumont Hotel, located in Ouray, Colorado. The Beaumont Hotel was built in the 1880s when Ouray was one of the richest silver and gold mining areas in the western United States, yet has remained abandoned for 34 years despite its listing in 1973 on the National Register of Historic Places. Demolition of the hotel was a strong possibility until the Kings recognized its cultural and economic importance and purchased the structure in 1998. After extensive study and planning, they completed a $6 million restoration and the Beaumont reopened for business in 2003.

Accepting the award were owners and restorers Mary and Dan King, principals of High Peak Resources, Inc.