This attractive, late 19th-century residence can be found at the southern edge of the Dan Ryan Woods in Chicago and is part of the National Register-listed Ridge Historic District. Once used as a “Watchman’s Residence” for the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, the picturesque house now lies vacant and decaying and has been added to the 2022 list of the most endangered historic places in Illinois.

Built in 1894, the Tudor Revival style house belonged to prominent Chicago real estate developer and financier, Eugene S. Pike who also played a large part in rebuilding the city following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Originally the building remained a part of Pike’s private estate at the edge of the woods, before the house and 32 acre grounds were purchased by the FPDCC in 1921 - used as a superintendent’s office and later the Watchman’s Residence.  

The now dilapidated abode was designed by renowned architect Harry Hale Waterman, who worked in Joseph Lyman Silsbee’s office alongside architects Frank Lloyd Wright and George Maher - a notable period in architecture. According to Tim Samuelson, Cultural Historian (retired) for the City of Chicago, “its impact on the creation of a living organic architecture that naturally evolved into globally influential modernism has fundamental importance in architectural history”, as reported by Beverly Area Planning Association.

Having sat vacant for six years, the historical home has deteriorated significantly with neglect and lack of funding. As stated by Landmarks Illinois, Pike House needs an ‘outside user and investor’ in order to preserve the architectural piece of history. You can read more and find out to help via the BAPA website. 

Deemed one of the most iconic houses in Washington, this endangered home was built circa 1793 by Anthony Poullain and purchased by Savannah merchant John Bolton in 1803. It was extended for use as a Summer home, before Robert Sims added the Victorian detailing in 1883. 11 rooms were added in total, most probably due to the owner having 10 children.

The extensive 18-room home became known as The Cedars during the Victorian era and was home to numerous famed Washington residents throughout its life including George Walton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Unfortunately, this Washington historical landmark has fallen into disrepair, recently listed by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation as a Place in Peril. With no improvements or made since the early 2000s, the Cedars faces the risk of demolition by neglect.

However, the Cedars House is currently for sale and garnering attention to its plight. The original kitchen from 1793 survives in the existing house according to records, which you can view via the real estate listing. Hopefully, the home will find a loving owner prepared to bring it back to its former glory.

Previously one of Louisana Landmarks Society's 'New Orleans Nine', the organization's list of most threatened buildings, Luling Mansion dates from 1865 and is one of the most notable Renaissance palazzo-style homes in the South.

The Big Easy house was designed by James Gallier Jr. for cotton merchant Florence Luling. She sold it in 1871 to the Louisiana Jockey Club, and the mansion was used as a clubhouse for several decades.

In 1934, Luling Mansion was converted into apartments and has been owned by the same family since 1950. According to the Louisiana Landmarks Society, the building is in desperate need of some TLC.

Maintenance of the structure has been poor in recent years and the building shows signs of water damage and decay. Action needs to be taken as soon as possible to stave off the rot and preserve the historic mansion for posterity.

Built in 1848 for sisters Mary and Eliza Freeman, these clapboard houses are all that is left of Bridgeport's Little Liberia, a pioneering neighborhood settled by free people of color in the early 19th century. 

The properties provide a rare insight into the lives of free African Americans and Native Americans. The settlement prospered against the odds to create a thriving community, which boasted a number of well-appointed homes and businesses. The drawing above shows roughly how the seaside village was laid out.

This sketch shows how they would have looked in the 19th century. Left vacant for decades, the houses, which were designed in the Greek Revival and Italianate styles, have fallen into a sorry state of disrepair. They featured on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2018.

Also in that year, a grant was awarded from the African American Cultural Heritage Fund to help stabilize the structures, which should go some way to preserving them for future generations. Additional funding will be required to pay for major restoration work.

Also known as The Ship on the Desert, the modernist house in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park in Texas featured on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2018, but not much in the way of restoration work seems to have happened since.

The house was built by geologist Wallace E. Pratt during the 1940s in the stark 'International' style, which was all the rage at the time. It 'floats' above the high desert landscape like a ship and is the only manmade landmark in the area, surrounded by the beautiful wilderness.

Pratt and his wife lived in the minimalist property until 1963 when it was donated to the National Park Service. The house was used as a residence for employees for a time. Thereafter it was occasionally open to the public for tours.

Now off-limits to visitors, the William E. Pratt House is suffering from neglect. Important maintenance has been deferred and the National Trust for Historic Preservation is worried the structure may deteriorate further if remedial works aren't undertaken soon.

The A. B. Seavey House in Saco features on Maine Preservation's latest most endangered list. Completed in 1890, the house is one of the best examples of Queen Anne Revival architecture in the city and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Exquisitely designed and constructed with quality materials, the clapboard house is considered a real gem by architectural experts and has been described as being “elaborate without being pretentious”.

A major fire devastated the property in 2012, destroying much of the roof and third floor, while the first and second floors sustained smoke and water damage. The house has since been acquired by the City of Saco, but a massive amount of work is required to restore it.

According to a report by the Portland Press Herald, Biddeford Housing Authority bought the house with a bid of $1,000 and aim to use available funding to restore the house and provide a home for several families in the area. The works needs to make the house liveable again are estimated to cost $650,000.

The Huston House was built in 1927 by T.L. Huston, a former co-owner of the New York Yankees. Photographer Leland Kent of Abandoned Southeast captured the exterior and intriguing dilapidated interiors of Huston House. Formerly a rice plantation dating back to the 1790s, the historic building and its land holds a fascinating story. It was placed on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s Places in Peril list in 2019. 

In the 1790s Major Pierce Butler planted rice on the Altamaha Delta. His grandson, Captain Pierce Butler married a famous British actress, Fanny Kemble in 1838. Kemble immediately became very opposed to the treatment of slaves and published a book which is reported to have helped convince the British to oppose slavery and contributed to the swell of feeling that ultimately led to the Civil War.

When Huston purchased the Butler Island property in 1926, he converted the property into a dairy farm and proceeded to raise cows. Locals claimed Huston’s Dairy reportedly produced 'the best milk east of the Mississippi'. However, Huston found greater success using the land to grow iceberg lettuce and within a decade, Butler Island became one of the largest iceberg lettuce farms on the east coast.

After Huston's death in 1938, the property was purchased by tobacco heir R.J. Reynolds, Jr. The plantation is now owned by the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division and remains open to the public for birdwatching and fishing. The Huston House itself however, lies dormant with no plans in place for use or maintenance. Due to climate change and recent hurricanes, Hutson House continues to deteriorate in the elements. Read more about Huston and the plantation's compelling history here.

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