The Mystery Castle in Phoenix, Ariz. Robert Graham hide caption
Back in the 1930s, an untrained architect in Phoenix, Ariz., built a ramshackle structure resembling a sandcastle from found materials. The Mystery Castle, which became a funky roadside attraction, fell into disrepair over the years and is now at risk of demolition.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation announced Wednesday that the Mystery Castle is one of America's 11 most endangered historic places in 2025. "Across the United States, compelling, meaningful historic sites are at risk, whether from natural disasters, underutilization, neglect, or lack of awareness," a statement from the National Trust said. The group has been issuing an annual list of U.S. sites at risk since 1988.
"We're a nation with global roots, and our individual stories matter," the organization's CEO, Carol Quillen, told NPR. "And when you find a story about a man who - without plans, without training, without any kind of guidance or permits - built this amazing castle for his wife and daughter, you just want that story to be told."
This year, the list includes not only buildings, but entire communities, such as a smattering of islands off Florida's northwest coast. Cedar Key was renowned for its Old Florida charm. A historic fishing village that bears its name was devastated by Hurricane Helene in 2024.
Cedar Key after Hurricane Helene, October 2024 Timothy Macy/National Trust for Historic Preservation hide caption
"This is one of the worst hurricanes I've ever been through," one longtime resident, Pamela Sikes, told member station WUSF earlier this year. "The total destruction. So many businesses aren't coming back, and it's just really sad."
Hurricane Helene also led to the French Broad and Swannanoa river corridors' inclusion on the 2025 most endangered list. The western North Carolina region includes Asheville and numerous other towns. Climate scientists in the area have long warned about the dangers of extreme rain; buildings wiped out by the hurricane included, ironically, a data center monitoring environmental disruption.
The River Arts District in Asheville, N.C., during the flooding from Tropical Storm Helene in 2024. The French Broad River crested high enough to breach the first floor of the buildings. Drew Wallace/National Trust for Historic Preservation hide caption
"Our work invites these communities both to rebuild and develop a plan to rebuild that supports their communities and also to plan for the future," Quillen said. "These sites have brought together local residents, governments, local governments, colleges and universities to produce research and studies on how to enable resiliency and rebuilding in these communities. Those kinds of coalitions, I think, are really important for helping us remember that rebuilding a community is more than just the built environment. Rebuilding a community also means the soft social infrastructure that supports it and the cultural practices that have developed in that particular region."
Increasing storm frequency and severity also threaten the Pamunkey Indian Reservation, of King William County, Va. A federally recognized sovereign Tribal nation, the Pamunkey people and their ancestors have lived on and around the peninsula in the Pamunkey River for at least 15,000 years. But rising storm severity and sea level rise could make most of the reservation inaccessible within this century.
Pamunkey women making pottery at the Pottery School on the reservation in the early 20th century. Pamunkey Indian Tribe/National Trust for Historic Preservation hide caption
This year's list did not include any of the hundreds of historic government buildings that President Trump had targeted for sale earlier this year - some of which do not meet the criteria for federal architecture that he outlined in a January executive order.
"I would say the process started before that," Quillen said. "It takes a long time for this process to work itself out and the criteria that we use are pretty consistent, year over year. We want a variety of sites. We want this to be locally driven. We want sites that are experiencing some kind of threat and have a plan to address that threat. And we want sites that, when preserved, can offer something to their community."
"You have to meet your needs now," she added. "The constraint of that makes us more creative. It connects to the past. It keeps alive these incredible, incredibly powerful stories."
Oregon Caves Chateau, Cave Junction, Ore.
