Route 66, Iraq historical sites named most threatened

As threatened as Route 66’s historical sites are, it at least it has one thing in its favor:

The country in which they are located is not at war.

The World Monuments Fund today included Iraq archaeological sites and Route 66 on its 2008 watch list of 100 threatened sites around the globe. The group is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of endangered architectural and cultural sites.

Iraq, described as the “cradle of civilization,” has suffered “catastrophic” cultural losses from looting, vandalism and armed conflict since the U.S. invasion more than four years ago.

Here is what the fund said about Route 66:

Historic-building surveys of Route 66 show that the transportation-related buildings such as motels, gas stations, cafes, and trading posts are primarily threatened by development in urban areas, and by decay and abandonment in rural areas. An example of the rate of loss of significant properties along the route was made recently in New Mexico, where it was found that within a ten-year period, six percent of the significant sites had been destroyed. The associated cultural landscapes are also under threat from development of housing and commercial ventures. If these threats are not addressed, the historic resources of Route 66 will be largely eclipsed by decay, demolition, and/or new development, leaving few tangible links to this part of American culture. The Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, administered by the National Park Service of the Department of the Interior, assists with preservation planning, research, and educational initiatives, and serves as a clearing house for preservation information and technical assistance for those who wish to save “America’s Silk Road.” Unless reauthorized by Congress, the program is scheduled to end in September 2009.

The fund’s Web site has three photos from Route 66: Odell Station in Odell, Ill., which has been restored; Boots Motel in Carthage, Mo., which is closed and faces an uncertain future; and Horn Oil Lodge in Albuquerque, N.M., part of which was razed to make away for a mixed-used development.

The 2009 sunset of the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is a pressing concern. That likely will be extensively discussed during next week’s Route 66 Summit before the National Route 66 Festival in Clinton, Okla.

The fund’s entire list can be found here.