Utah’s Most Endangered Places: A Yearly Report

Every year, Preservation Utah shares its Most Endangered Places List. This list provides a statewide overview of historic sites, buildings, and cultural resources facing serious and often urgent threats.

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The list does not rank sites. Instead, it calls people to act. It identifies places with architectural, historical, or cultural value that are at risk of demolition, neglect, redevelopment, environmental threats, or other issues. By highlighting these sites, Preservation Utah hopes to raise public awareness, inspire community advocacy, and start conversations about how to preserve them.

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It may not be possible to save every historic place, but Preservation Utah’s mission is to save as many as we can. We also want to give communities the tools, visibility, and support they need to protect their local history. The Most Endangered Places List is one of our main advocacy tools. It helps residents, leaders, and partners see what could be lost and why preservation is important.

 

Sites included on the list are evaluated based on several considerations, including:

• Historic significance

• Urgency of the threat

• Evidence of local or community support

• Potential for preservation or adaptive reuse

• Representation of historically underrepresented communities

• Integrity of location, setting, design, materials, and workmanship

 

The final list includes a variety of places from all over Utah and is organized alphabetically by county. Being on the list does not mean a site will be lost. In fact, many sites from past lists have been stabilized, restored, or even fully saved thanks to community action and teamwork.