A group of early 20th-century schools, family cemeteries and a 19th-century structure in downtown Wilmington are high on the list of Most Threatened Historic Places for 2016, released Tuesday morning by Historic Wilmington Foundation.

“The annual list is a key element of the Foundation’s educational initiative to preserve the unique architectural heritage and quality of life of southeastern North Carolina,” foundation officials stated in a news release.

Prominent on the list are Pender County’s Rosenwald Schools, built in the early 20th century for African-American children, but are now “threatened by neglect, deterioration and expanding development,” according to the foundation’s description, which continued, “unless dramatic action is taken, these important reminders of our state’s history of segregated and unequal educational opportunities will disappear.” 

One of the schools, the Canetuck School, has been rehabilitated into a senior center, showing that these buildings “have potential for new uses,” officials stated.

A former residence at 226 S. Front St. in Wilmington is also suffering from neglect and deterioration, although its owner has made some progress toward stabilizing it, according to the foundation’s description. Built as a residence in the 19th century, the building most recently housed a restaurant and retail business.

“The building is eligible for the federal and state preservation tax credits and these incentives (possibly combined with an easement donation) could make the rehabilitation practical,” the description stated.

See more info about the preservation tax credits here.

Public and private family cemeteries in Brunswick, New Hanover and Pender counties are threatened by neglect, vandalism and development, the foundation’s description stated, adding that New Hanover County has committed personnel to protect these sites within the county and has developed a model for groups to adopt them.

Also on the 2016 list are the Sts. Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church in St. Helena and Fort Caswell Rifle Range, a 200-foot concrete structure built in 1918. Historic wood windows in general also made an appearance on the list. The issue occurs if they are “improperly removed when a structure is repaired or rehabilitated” and replaced with “inappropriate modern glazing,” according to the foundation, which added that “well-maintained wooden windows will typically outperform new replacement windows.”

Another structure, the historic Brunswick County Courthouse in Southport, is on the foundation’s Watch List, although the foundation notes there is hope to improve the condition of this landmark. The courthouse, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, will get a new roof, courtesy of the city of Southport. The city also plans to address mold and deterioration issues, the foundation reported.

“The purpose of the Foundation’s Most Threatened Historic Places program is to draw attention to our region’s threatened historic sites and to illustrate the importance and benefits of preserving our architectural and cultural heritage for the future,” the release stated. “The program has helped to raise public awareness about the value of historic preservation, generate creative new solutions and ideas for sites in desperate need of attention, and rally public and private resources to preserve historic places.”