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FAQ What is American Express Partners in Preservation? Why is site preservation so important? How has American Express been involved in preservation previously? What was involved in the 2006 Partners in Preservation Initiative? What was involved in the 2007 Partners in Preservation Initiative? What was involved in the 2008 Partners in Preservation initiative? What was involved in the 2009 Partners in Preservation initiative? Why was Greater Boston targeted with this initiative? How were the 25 Greater Boston sites selected? What is the National Trust for Historic Preservation and how is it connected to American Express? What is the World Monuments Fund and how is it connected to American Express? How were the amounts of the grants decided? Who provides the grant funding for this initiative? How can I get more involved in preserving historic sites in Greater Boston? How can I share my story? How do I upload photos? Whom can I contact for help with technical difficulties? What is American Express Partners in Preservation? American Express Partners in Preservation is a $5.5 million, five-year commitment to historic preservation that seeks to increase public awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United States to help save important historic and cultural landmarks, and to strengthen local communities. It is a joint effort between American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the U.S. The program, now in its fourth year, focused on sites in the Greater Boston area. New Orleans was featured in 2008 and Chicago and its surrounding counties in 2007. The program was launched in 2006 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Back to top Why is site preservation so important? Preservation connects us to our history and helps us collectively shape the future of America’s story by saving the places where great moments from history and the important moments of our everyday lives took place. When historic buildings and neighborhoods are torn down or allowed to deteriorate, a part of our past disappears forever. When that happens, we lose history that helps us know who we are and we lose opportunities to live and work in a rich architectural environment that layers the past with the present. Preservation helps create lively, vital communities by sparking economic development, and helps save our earth’s natural resources by reusing what’s already been built. Back to top How has American Express been involved in preservation previously? The American Express Partners in Preservation program was built upon the company's decade-long relationship with the World Monuments Fund (WMF) and established partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The program is dedicated to preserving sites both in the U.S. and around the world. American Express is the founding sponsor of WMF's World Monuments Watch program, established in 1995 to call international attention to and ensure the preservation of cultural heritage sites around the world that are threatened by neglect, vandalism, armed conflict or natural disaster. Over the past ten years American Express has helped to preserve 126 sites in 62 countries from the World Monuments Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites and other World Monuments Fund programs. American Express also supports hundreds of nonprofit organizations each year through its foundation and corporate giving activities. Grants are made under the Cultural Heritage, Leadership and Community Service themes that reflect the Company’s values and complement its business priorities. Please visit our website for details. Back to top What was involved in the 2006 Partners in Preservation Initiative? In September 2006, American Express gave $1 million in preservation grants to thirteen historic places in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 2006 Bay Area grant recipients continue to make progress in achieving their preservation goals and many have already completed their projects. Click here to see the status of projects. The popular vote winner was Bernard Maybeck’s masterpiece First Church of Christ, Scientist in Berkeley. Back to top What was involved in the 2007 Partners in Preservation Initiative? In 2007, fifteen historic places in Chicagoland were selected to receive a total of $1 million in preservation grants from American Express. You can learn more about the projects and their status by clicking here. The popular vote winner in Chicagoland was the On Leong Merchant Association Building/Pui-Tak Center. Outside of the U.S., American Express, through a partnership with the National Trust of Australia, provided grants to help preserve and care for historic sites in the New South Wales council areas of Sydney, Mosman and Waverley. Back to top What was involved in the 2008 Partners in Preservation initiative? The 2008 Partners in Preservation initiative focused on New Orleans in honor of the city's restoration and redevelopment efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The city was selected as a top priority to support preservation and recovery efforts to ensure the survival of the area's rich cultural assets and heritage tourism. Five historic sites in areas affected by Katrina were selected as grant recipients of the $400,000 that American Express committed to this effort in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. To find out more about the New Orleans projects, click here. Back to top What was involved in the 2009 Partners in Preservation initiative? The 2009 Partners in Preservation initiative focused on the Greater Boston Area. Twenty-five eligible historic places competed for a total of $1 million in preservation grants from American Express. From April 14 - May 17, the public was invited to vote for the places they wanted to see receive preservation funding and to share their personal stories and photos of the 25 sites. Each person was able to vote once daily for any of the 25 historic places. The winner of the public vote, Paragon Carousel, was guaranteed to receive a grant, while the rest of the grant recipients were selected by American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and an Advisory Committee comprised of Greater Boston civic and preservation leaders. Back to top Why was Greater Boston targeted with this initiative? Greater Boston boasts an astoundingly rich cultural heritage and the historic places that anchor its communities are prolific. The region’s central role in the founding of our nation, and the important place it holds in telling our country’s story, made it a perfect place for our Partners in Preservation program. Back to top How were the 25 Greater Boston sites selected? Last year, stewards responsible for the care of historic places throughout Greater Boston were invited to complete a grant application for a preservation project. American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation then narrowed down the long list of applicants to 25 prospective grantees. Each Partners in Preservation participant is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization or a government agency. Five criteria were used for the participant selection process: • Historic Significance: The site must be listed in, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places and/or a local register of historic places, and must represent compelling stories that reflect the rich diversity and breadth of the American experience. • Project Plan: The project must be part of a clear plan to save and/or care for the site. The applicant must demonstrate that grant support will play an identifiable role in getting the project started or completed or making an important, visible contribution. • Community Impact: The project must have demonstrated extensive community support, and should have the potential to contribute to tourism or community development. • Organizational Excellence: The applicant must demonstrate financial and organizational capacity to successfully complete the project and to adhere to the project time-line. The applicant must be well connected to the community and have community support, have a track record of success with previous efforts or projects, and be able to organize and participate in site-related PR events. • Completion Date: The preservation project must be completed by December 2010. Back to top What is the National Trust for Historic Preservation and how is it connected to American Express? The National Trust for Historic Preservation (www.PreservationNation.org) is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, nine regional and field offices—including the Northeast Office in Boston—29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories. The partnership of American Express with the National Trust for Historic Preservation seeks to increase public awareness of the importance of historic preservation in the United States, preserve American historic and cultural landmarks, and strengthen local communities through preservation efforts. For over ten years, American Express has supported National Trust for Historic Preservation initiatives, including its Save America’s Treasures and Heritage Tourism programs. Back to top What is the World Monuments Fund and how is it connected to American Express? The World Monuments Fund is the foremost private non-profit organization dedicated to saving the world’s cultural and architectural heritage. Over the past 10 years American Express has helped to preserve 126 sites in 62 countries from the World Monuments Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites and other World Monuments Fund programs. American Express/ World Monuments Fund Sustainable Tourism Grants Program Recognizing both the benefits and the pressures of tourism on cultural heritage sites around the world, American Express and World Monuments Fund (WMF) are building on the Partners in Preservation initiative by creating a global grants program focusing on the sustainable tourism aspect of historic sites. The program rewards and encourages responsible stewardship of historic sites in an urban context to integrate historic preservation, sustainable tourism management, and visitor education into efforts to protect and preserve cultural heritage sites around the world. The grants recognize significant historic sites that: • respect, protect and conserve the built and living cultural heritage and traditional values of host communities, and contribute to inter-cultural understanding • use innovative approaches to conservation and sustainable tourism management that have potential for wider application to other sites • ensure a meaningful and satisfying experience for tourists by raising awareness about sustainability issues and encouraging responsible and sustainable tourism practices The first sustainable tourism grants were announced in late 2007. Back to top How were the amounts of the grants decided? The public was invited to vote online for the places they wanted to see receive preservation funding. The winner of the public vote, Paragon Carousel, was guaranteed to receive a grant. American Express, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a special Advisory Committee made up of local preservation, business and civic leaders reviewed the public’s votes along with each site’s monetary needs to determine how the rest of the $1 million in preservation grants was awarded. Back to top Who provides the grant funding for this initiative? Through the Partners in Preservation program, American Express has committed $5.5 million over a five-year period toward preserving historic places throughout the United States. Over the past three years, historic places in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicagoland and New Orleans have received $2.4 million in preservation grants, which has enabled recipients to make significant progress in achieving their preservation goals. American Express has also given $1.1 million to the National Trust for Historic Preservation to support its work helping people save the places that matter to them, all across the country. In 2009, American Express gave away $1 million in preservation grants to historic places in Greater Boston. Back to top How can I get more involved in preserving historic sites in Greater Boston? The National Trust for Historic Preservation champions preservation by providing leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to people working to protect, enhance, and enjoy the places that matter to them. Join www.PreservationNation.org There are many other organizations that help preserve historic places in Greater Boston, including: Preservation Massachusetts Old City Hall, 45 School Street Boston, MA 02108-3204 Phone: 617.723.3383 Fax: 617.523.3782 www.preservationmass.org Massachusetts Historical Commission 220 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125 Phone: 617.727.8470 Fax: 617.727.5128 www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc Boston Preservation Alliance 45 School Street Boston, MA 02108 Phone: 617.367.2458 Fax: 617.742.7431 www.bostonpreservation.org Historic Boston Incorporated 3 School Street Boston, MA 02108 Phone: 617.227.4679 Fax: 617.227.4679 www.historicboston.org John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission One Depot Square Woonsocket, RI 02895 Phone: (401) 762-0250 Fax: (401) 762-0530 www.nps.gov/blac Community Preservation Coalition 33 Union Street, 4th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Phone: 617.367.8998 Fax: 617.367.8788 www.communitypreservation.org Essex National Heritage Area 221 Essex Street, Suite 41 Salem MA 01970 Phone: 978.740.0444 Fax: 978.744.6473 www.essexheritage.org Historic New England 141 Cambridge Street Boston, MA 02114 Phone: 617.227.3956 www.historicnewengland.org Preservation Trades Network PO Box 249 Amherst, NH 03031-0249 Phone: 866.853.9335 Fax: 866.954.9336 www.iptw.org Preservation Worcester 10 Cedar Street Worcester, MA 01609 Phone: 508.754.8760 Fax: 508.798.0693 www.preservationworcester.org Waterfront Historic Area League (WHALE) 13 Hamilton Street New Bedford, MA 02740 Phone: 508.997.1776 Fax: 508.798.0693 www.waterfrontleague.org There are also a large number of Main Street communities in Greater Boston. To obtain a list of local Main Street organizations in your area click on the Boston Main Streets website. Further details on all of the Partners in Preservation Sites can be found on their official websites: Crane Estate Cyclorama, Boston Center for the Arts Edgell Memorial Library Eliot Congregational Church of Roxbury José Mateo Ballet Theatre Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House Lowell's Boat Shop Mount Auburn Cemetery Museum of African American History National Monument to the Forefathers New England Aquarium Norfolk County Agricultural High School Dairy Barn Norfolk Grange Hall Old North Church Old Ship Meeting House Paragon Carousel Paul Revere House Perkins School for the Blind Salem Old Town Hall Schooner Adventure St. Joseph's High School, Coalition for a Better Acre St. Peter's Church United First Parish Church, “Church of the Presidents” Villa Victoria Center for the Arts Vilna Shul, Boston’s Center for Jewish Culture Back to top How can I share my story? Go to the Explore Page and click on any of the historic places in the List of Locations. The map will zoom into your chosen location and allow you to further expand your knowledge. Click on the 'Learn More' button to view your chosen site's unique Explore Page. There, you can click on the ‘submit your story’ button to add your own personal story. Back to top How do I upload photos? Go to the Explore Page and click on any of the historic places in the List of Locations. The map will zoom into your chosen location and allow you to further expand your knowledge. Click on the 'Learn More' button to view your chosen site's unique Explore Page. There, you can click on the ‘add your story’ button to add your own personal photo. Back to top Whom can I contact for help with technical difficulties? Please fill out the form below. Nickname:  E-mail:  Question: Back to top
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