Recent Past Preservation

The Lost List :: Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Current RPPN Efforts:

Lustron Update from Quantico - Jan 2007

New deadline for RFP is in March 2007.
More details at lustronsatquantico.com

If you are anxious to get your own Lustron, join the new Lustron discussion board at Yahoo!Groups. In any month there are usually one or two of these buildings available, either on-site or in "must-move" condition.

If you are interested in the history of Lustron homes and their inventor Carl Strandlund, check out the award-winning film Lustron: The House America's Been Waiting For, a co-production of KDN Videoworks & WOSU.TV (Ohio State University). The film will be distributed to PBS television stations November 23 or you can catch it this month at several film festivals including Detroit, Milwaukee, Fort Lauderdale and Schenectady. More information and copies of the video are available at www.lustron.org. Also check out this extensive site sponsored by WOSU.TV.

RPPN is actively working with Quantico to find solutions to this preservation problem. We are interested in helping people with multiple chemical sensitivities or environmental illnesses acquire the all-metal Lustron homes for adaptation to allergen-free residences. Please contact RPPN at submit@recentpast.org if you have information or questions. Link here for Quantico contact information.

More information on Lustron homes at our National Windshield Survey

Check out this national tour of Lustron Homes, hosted by Lustron Locator.

Save Richard Neutra's Cyclorama Building at Gettysburg! The Cyclorama Building is slated for demolition by the National Park Service to make way for a conjectural "restoration" of the battlefield landscape. Architectural firm Neutra and Alexander designed the structure in 1961 as part of the commemorative celebration of the Battle of Gettysburg. The building was also a showpiece of the "Mission 66" program, a $1 billion effort to improve visitor facilities at the national parks. The National Register-listed Cyclorama Building is the only Neutra-designed structure east of the Mississippi open to the public and a unique late-period work of this master architect. Numerous architects, professionals, and organizations have endorsed preservation of the Cyclorama Building. We are urging all those involved to rescind their previous approval of this ill-advised demolition. Sign on to save here

The Latest: RPPN Sues National Park Service
to Prevent Demolition of Historic Building at Gettysburg

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Recent Past Preservation Network, a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation and understanding of modern architecture, has sued the National Park Service to prevent the agency from demolishing the historic Cyclorama Center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The lawsuit, filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges multiple violations of the National Environmental Policy Act and the national Historic Preservation Act, and would prevent the Park Service from demolishing the Cyclorama Center until the agency complies with federal law.

The Cyclorama Center was designed by the late architect Richard Neutra, who is recognized by architectural historians and the popular press alike as a master architect of modern design. Neutra’s buildings stand alongside those of fellow architect and friend Frank Lloyd Wright in the history of American architecture. Neutra’s contributions to American design include some of the greatest works of architecture in this country, such as the Lovell “Health” House in Los Angeles and the Kauffman House in Palm Springs. In 1977, Neutra was posthumously awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, an exclusive and prestigious award honoring his “lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.”

The Cyclorama Center is a rare example of Neutra’s civic architecture on the East Coast. The architect himself described it as the project closest to his heart. In 1998, the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places declared the Cyclorama Center to be an historic structure, concluding that the building possesses “exceptional historic and architectural significance.”

The Park Service currently plans to demolish the Cyclorama Center as part of an agency plan for the area of Gettysburg known as Ziegler’s Grove. In 1999, the agency pledged to notify and involve the public in any future changes to Ziegler’s Grove, and to comply with federal environmental laws. Today’s lawsuit charges that the Park Service has not kept these promises. Instead, the agency has determined to tear down the Cyclorama Center without any public notice or involvement, and in violation of two major federal laws protecting the environment.

The Recent Past Preservation Network hopes to persuade the Park Service that the Cyclorama Center should be relocated, not destroyed. The group has been working with the community and has received strong interest in preserving and relocating the building within Gettysburg. The organization has the support of a variety of businesses, property-owners, and developers, and has even identified suitable land in town. However, the Park Service has not responded to any letters or phone calls from the plaintiffs in more than two years.

The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Dion Neutra, the architect son and professional partner of Richard Neutra, and Christine Madrid French, who has authored several published works on modern architecture in America’s national parks. All three plaintiffs are represented, on a pro bono basis, by the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP.

Critical Links:

Download a PDF of the Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, filed in U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, December 2006.

reCyclorama: The Campaign to Save Richard Neutra's 1961 Cyclorama Center at Gettysburg. See photos of the building, blueprints, historical documents and letters supporting preservation of the building from Robert A.M. Stern, Frank Gehry, and others.

Contacts
*Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, Linda Butler, 312-876-3453,
LButler@sonnenschein.com
*Christine Madrid French, 434-293-2872, president@recentpast.org

Taking Action to Save Historic Resources. New to preservation? Check these links for hints on how to get started.

See our Research and Resources page for detailed information on saving historic buildings from the recent past.

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