View previous years lists:

Click here to access full property descriptions of each 10 Most property, was well as property photos and other downloads.

Click here to read more about all nineteen properties nominated to this year’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Places program.

Click here to see a complete listing of all properties on previous 10 Most Endangered lists, and their current status.

(ST. PAUL, MINN—May 20, 2010) — A prominent county courthouse, a Depression-era school building, an iconic Modern ice-cream stand, and a Northern Minnesota lakeside overlook are among the diverse sites named to the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota’s 2010 list of the state’s 10 Most Endangered Historic Places.

This list, the 17th annual compilation the Alliance has released, profiles historic sites that are most in need of public support and advocacy. Citizens and groups from around the state submitted nineteen nominations for the 2010 list. Final selections were made by a selection committee including members of the following groups: the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota; State Historic Preservation Office of the Minnesota Historical Society; the Society of Architectural Historians, Minnesota Chapter; the American Institute of Architects; Preserve Minneapolis; and the University of Minnesota.

The 10 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2010 are:

The Bessesen Building, Albert Lea

Minnesota’s Oldest Dairy Queen, Roseville

Dodd Ford Bridge, Amboy

Garrison Concourse, Garrison

Todd County Courthouse, Long Prairie

Wesley United Methodist Church, Minneapolis

Great Northern Railway Depot, Princeton

Jackson County Resource Center, Jackson

Samuel J. Hewson House, Minneapolis

Southeast St. Cloud Neighborhood, St. Cloud

The 10 Most Endangered Historic Places program is designed to spotlight historic properties that face imminent danger through demolition and neglect, organizational and financial challenges, and restrictive and inappropriate public policy. Through this program the Alliance seeks favorable outcomes that can be achieved through a preservation approach. Of the nearly 140 historic places listed over the life of this important program, two-thirds have been saved in part through the awareness generated by their listing. Recent success stories include the Saint Louis County Jail, Duluth, which was listed as an endangered property in 2004, 2008, and 2009 and was recently purchased by a developer who plans to renovate the building for office use. Three other properties on last year’s 10 Most Endangered list have also been saved: the Rock Island Swing Bridge, Inver Grove Heights; the Foley-Brower-Bohmer House, Saint Cloud; and the Big Fish, Bena. A full listing of previous years’ 10 Most Endangered properties can be found at www.mnpreservation.org/programs.

A photographic exhibit featuring the 10 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2010 will be displayed at museums, libraries, and other public places statewide throughout the coming year. This exhibit was made possible by a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Grant from the Minnesota Historical Society, and by the following in-kind and financial sponsors: Black Box Images; Pioneer Photography; David Heide Design Studio; American Society of Landscape Architects, Minnesota Chapter (MASLA); Blue Planet Museum Consulting; Connie Lies, in honor of John G. and Violet Boquist; Design for Preservation; Duluth Preservation Alliance; Friends of the Graves Farmstead; Friends of the Riverfront; Kasson Alliance for Restoration (KARE); Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (MNSAH); Society for Commercial Archeology; and St. Cloud Historic and Neighborhood Preservation. The Alliance wishes to thank these sponsors for their generous support of this vital program.

The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota wishes to thank these sponsors for their generous support of this vital program:


In kind sponsorship by: