Looking to Leap, Considerations for World Heritage Sites from the United States

Presentation by Mark R. Barnes, Ph.D. and Arleen Pabn, Ph.D

Historic urban areas are among the most abundant and diverse manifestations of our common cultural heritage, shaped by generations and constituting a key testimony to humankinds endeavors and aspirations in space and time.

Historic urban areas are defined by an historic layering of values that have been produced by successive and existing cultures and an accumulation of traditions and experiences, recognized as such in their diversity.
St. Francis Street, St. Augustine, Florida, 1860s St. Francis Street, St. Augustine, Florida, 2010.

Item 26 of the Recommendations states Research should target the complex layering of urban settlements, in order to identify values, understand their meaning for the communities, and present them to visitors in a comprehensive manner.
Sixteenth Century Spanish colonial artifact recovered from excavations. Archaeological Investigations at the original 1565 site of St. Augustine.

Item 26 of the Recommendations also states It is essential to document the state of urban areas and their evolution, to facilitate the evaluation of proposals for changes, and to improve protective and managerial skills and procedures.

Interpretation of the historic urban area changes with new research approaches.

Savannah College of Art and Design and National Park Service Additional Documentation Study of St. Augustine Historic District.

SCAD/NPS Survey Results

1. The location of a number of additional Spanish colonial sites, landscapes, fortifications, and buildings.
2. The development of an appropriate boundary for the historic district of St. Augustine. 3. A document to assist local planners on future projects in the community.

The fortifications and town of St. Augustine were one of a series of planned Spanish Colonial communities created to defend the Spanish Empire. In response, other colonial powers created their own fortifications and communities.

Recent progress in the United States World Heritage Sites programs.

1. Since 2008, the United States has developed a new Tentative List of potential World Heritage Sites (WHS).
2. Recently, the first WHS from the United States was designated in over a decade. 3. This January the Poverty Point WHS nomination was completed with the assistance of ICAHM. 4. The Secretary of the Interior has proposed two serial WHS studies San Antonio Missions and 11 Frank Lloyd Wright designed buildings.