Created in 2000, the 3 Most Endangered list includes sites which have historical, architectural or cul-tural significance and are in danger of demolition, deterioration, or substantial alteration due to neglect or vandalism. Being named to the list is often a first step or a much needed boost towards preserving these historic places. The list often draws public attention to historic preservation issues, sparks debate about cultural and architectural heritage preservation, and sometimes even attracts a new owner or de-veloper to a historic site in desperate need of a new and creative solution.

Each year PND also invites nominations for the annual Success Story award. This award is given to a site having historical, architectural, or cultural significance, which has been restored. The work must have been completed within the last five years. The award also draws attention to historic preservation issues and demonstrates how historic places can be restored and adaptively reused for both historical and practical purposes.

“When a grassroots group forms to save a historic place, it is truly a reason to celebrate,” said Jennifer Wilkie, PND’s Development Director. “The 3 Most Endangered list is important because it identifies significant places that are threatened. But when the competition for the Success Story award is high, then we know we are truly making a difference.”

2009 THREE MOST ENDANGERED PLACES: 1) Buford-Trenton Pumphouse - Williams County The Old Buford-Trenton Pumphouse contained pumping equipment used for the Buford-Trenton irrigation project. The project began in far western Williams County using water from the Missouri River to irrigate over 4,000 acres of land. The Old Pumphouse operated from 1908 to 1913 and was the first irrigation project in North Dakota. At first, the soils were deemed poor, and then a period of rainy years led to indifference among the local farmers, who abandoned attempts to irrigate. However, after the drought of the 1920s and 1930s, the project was revived and a new pumphouse was constructed at an alternate site. The solidly built concrete shell of the Old Pumphouse still remains just east of the State Histori-cal Society of North Dakota’s Missouri Yellowstone Confluence Center, where dredging from the river has substantially filled in the area around the Old Pumphouse.

2) Viking Bridge - Traill County The Viking Bridge spans the Goose River in Traill County. It is an example of a pin-connected Pratt through-truss bridge, which was popular in the United States at the end of the 19th century. Built in 1885 to connect Mayville and Portland, the Viking Bridge is the oldest bridge still standing in North Dakota. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is not in use, which currently poses the greatest threat to the structure. North Dakota’s Department of Transportation is studying how to stabilize the bridge, and actual work is scheduled to begin in 2010.

3) Brittin Grain Elevator - Morton Township, Burleigh County Grain elevators, once the economic engine of rural North Dakota towns, are now often aban-doned and lost to the ravages of time and weather, torn down or allowed to burn in the name of safety. Built in the early 1900s, the Brittin Elevator is a prime example of this ongoing problem. No longer in use, the elevator receives neither ongoing maintenance nor protection against fire or vandalism.

The Missouri Valley Historical Society has created a plan to save the Brittin Elevator. If suc-cessful, the elevator will be moved to Buckstop Junction, where it can be properly maintained and its history properly interpreted.

2009 HISTORIC PRESERVATION SUCCESS STORY AWARD St. Anna School - Wells County The restoration of St. Anna School has clearly been a labor of love for Terry and Mary Meier. Both natives of Harvey, ND, Mary became an elementary school teacher, and Terry graduated from NDSU with a degree in Architectural Engineering. Mary and all her siblings, four of whom grew up to become teachers, attended St. Anna School. “My desire in restoring St. Anna School,” Mary wrote in her nomination, “was to recreate [the era of one-room country schools] and preserve the important role that those schools played” in the history of education in North Dakota. Built circa 1898, St. Anna’s School is architecturally unique. While most country schools were rectangular with three windows on two parallel walls, St. Anna has a bank of five large win-dows on the east wall to let in the morning light. The roof has a very steep pitch with an offset bell tower entry porch. The attention given to these architectural elements makes it clear that education was important in the eyes of parents and educational leaders in Wells County. The building served as a rural school until 1960 and continued to be maintained by the St. Anna township board as a meeting and polling place for many years. However, it was eventually abandoned and weather, wildlife, and time took its toll on the building. The restoration took two years to complete. The original bell tower had been removed, but it was reconstructed and a school bell found and hung in the tower. The wood shingles were un-covered, rotten ones replaced. The interior restoration included re-sanding the floors and sal-vaging paint chips to return the walls, ceiling, and wood trim to the original colors of the class-room. Then, Mary searched for historically accurate furnishings for the school, including desks, blackboards, and lights. Area residents donated items so that it could be restored to look as it did when Mary attended school there in the 1940s and 1950s. Mary compiled a booklet in which she documented the history of the school. In July, 2008, the Meiers hosted an open house where former students and teachers were reunited and they plan to make it an annual event.

Success Story Honorable Mention: Bismarck Cathedral Area Historic District - Bismarck, ND The Bismarck Cathedral Area Historic District is the only residential historic district in Bis-marck. It honors 129 residential sites built from the 1880s to the 1940s. It also recognizes the sense of place that one feels when surrounded by the unique built and natural environment, epitomized by the stately elms that frame the Queen Anne, Eclectic, and Modern styles of homes. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but was threatened by a Wash-ington Street widening project, which would have destroyed 83 mature American elm trees. The ongoing fight between the City of Bismarck and neighborhood activists began in the 1950s. It dragged on until innovative street design options were developed that eliminated the need to destroy such a large number of trees. A conflict resolution design process, the charette, was adapted by the City of Bismarck and neighborhood stakeholders at the urging of Kadrmas, Lee and Jackson, a regional engineering, surveying, planning, and asset development firm. The cha-rette allowed all stakeholders to share in the design of the project along with the engineers and planners.

By awarding this Honorable Mention listing, PND recognizes the outstanding work of those involved in the conflict resolution process, including City Council Member Connie Sprynczy-natyk, Mayor John Warford, and KLJ’s design team.