FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Latino Heritage Conservation Launches National Effort to Protect At-Risk Latinx Landmarks
Initiative works to close federal preservation gaps as demolition, gentrification threaten historic sites

AUSTIN, TX — April 22, 2025 — Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC), the national leader in Latinx historic preservation, is launching Endangered Latinx Landmarks today, a nationwide initiative to protect culturally significant Latinx sites threatened by demolition, gentrification, effects of climate change, among other factors. The program coincides with Preservation Month (May 2025) and seeks to address what experts call a persistent gap in federal recognition of Latinx contributions to U.S. history.

The initiative is built on community engagement, inviting people across the country to nominate local landmarks at risk through an online portal open from now until June 15. Participants are encouraged to share historical details, cultural significance, and the specific threats facing each site.

“Entire chapters of Latinx history are being erased in real time. This initiative puts power in the hands of our communities to stop the loss,” says Sehila Mota Casper, LHC’s Executive Director. “Their nominations are essential to saving the places that shaped us and securing the recognition our communities have long been denied.”

Selected landmarks will be announced in September during National Latinx Heritage Month.

A legacy overlooked

Decades of systemic oversight have left Latinx heritage nearly invisible in historic preservation efforts. According to LHC research, 0.65% of sites on the National Register of Historic Places acknowledge Latinx contributions. This gap persists despite the cultural significance of landmarks tied to Latinx communities, many of which are lost before meeting the 50-year threshold required for federal eligibility.

Take the Univision Studios headquarters in San Antonio, demolished in 2013 after standing for 58 years. It was the birthplace of Spanish-language television and media in the United States. A similar fate met California’s Hoover Mexican School, torn down shortly after the courts mandated desegregation in the Mendez v. Westminstercase. The Institute of Texan Cultures building, originally built as the Texas Pavilion for the 1968 World’s Fair, is currently being demolished, despite its designation as a State Antiquities Landmark.

All three met age requirements for preservation but were never added to the National Register. Advocates argue the current system often overlooks sites linked to minoritized communities, even when they qualify.

“These spaces are vital threads in the fabric of American history,” says Sehila Mota Casper, LHC’s Executive Director. “When a 58-year-old landmark is demolished, or a school with decades of community history is erased, we lose irreplaceable connections to our past.”

Economic Revitalization and Barriers

Historic preservation is a proven catalyst for economic growth. Projects meeting federal standards can qualify for the 20% Federal Historic Preservation Tax Credit, a program responsible for $235 billion in private investment since 1976. Rehabilitation efforts also stabilize neighborhoods, create jobs, and attract tourism. Yet Latinx communities face unique challenges, including immigration patterns and displacement, as rising housing costs, development pressures, and other factors push long-standing residents out of their neighborhoods. These trends often lead to the destruction of culturally vital sites before they meet the 50-year benchmark.

“Preservation is about honoring the past while investing in the future,” says Hillary Morales Robles, LHC’s Historic Preservation Officer. “Tax credits help, but without comprehensive policy reforms and community advocacy, we risk losing irreplaceable places.”

How the Initiative Works

The program introduces three key tools to mobilize preservation efforts:

1. Latinx Roots Tracker: A publicly accessible, real-time geospatial mapping categorizing sites as Lost, Endangered, or Saved.

2. Community Nominations: From April 22 to June 15, 2025, individuals can nominate at-risk sites across the United States and Puerto Rico.

3. Three-Phase Strategy:

• Roots Perdidas (Lost roots): Digital memorials and community altars honoring demolished landmarks.

• Roots En Alerta (Roots on Alert): Storytelling campaigns and an interactive map mobilizing action for endangered sites.

• Roots Rescatadas (Saved Roots): Celebrating preservation victories and the coalitions behind them.

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Note: This press pitch incorporates information from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Radio KJZZ Phoenix, Mexican American Female Activism in the Age of De Jure Segregationand the National Park Service.

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About Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC)

Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC) is the national leader in the preservation of Latinx heritage, dedicated to building a movement through education, advocacy, and leadership. We work to ensure that Latinx history is recognized, protected, and celebrated across the United States.

Learn more at: latinoheritage.us/endangeredlatinxlandmarks

Media Contact:
Raffaela Hartman
Communications Manager, Latinos in Heritage Conservation
📞+1 352-630-0640 | ✉️ raffaela@latinoheritage.us