News from World Monuments Fund

New Program in Landscape Preservation in the Bronx

On September 8, the first edition of World Monuments Fund (WMF)'s Bridge to Crafts Careers (B2CC) landscape preservation program launched at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, NY. In this expanded version of the highly successful preservation trades training initiative, 18 interns are learning how to safeguard cultural landscapes in the unique backdrop of the nearly 200-year old cemetery.

The program is designed to ensure all interns’ safety, respecting social distancing and staggering smaller teams on-site over a period of three months. Through virtual classes created by Davey Tree, the largest tree care company in North America, interns also have the opportunity to continue learning from home.

Safeguarding the Future of Ontario Place 

In response to plans to redevelop Ontario Place, a Toronto landmark and 2020 World Monuments Watch site, WMF has formed a coalition with the University of Toronto and the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario to lead The Future of Ontario Project.

Through public engagement and community initiatives involving architects, urbanists, and city builders, The Future of Ontario Place Project aims to safeguard this extraordinary example of Toronto’s modernist architecture and public waterfront space from demolition or privatization.

The project includes a Canada-wide Design Challenge inviting architecture students to imagine counter-proposals to preserve the site’s significance and a series of live debates on the issues facing the site.

Gaudí & Trencadís in Valencia

Gaudí’s signature trencadís mosaics are known for their rich combination of volumes, textures, and colors that appears in many of the architect’s works. The Güell Pavilions, where Gaudí first used the modern mosaic technique, were included on the 2014 World Monuments Watch to raise awareness of the lack of means for their conservation.

Open to the public since October 2 at the National Museum of Ceramics and Sumptuary Arts “González Marti” in Valencia, Spain, the “Gaudí & Trencadís” exhibit delves into the origins and evolution of the iconic architect's trencadís mosaics.

Based on a book written by the curators, Marta Saliné and Mireia Freixa, and published in 2019 with support from the American Express Foundation, the exhibit will showcase 33 of the artist’s original pieces. Take a peek at the book and the exhibition’s stunning visuals in this 2019 WMF slideshow.

Proposed Reconstruction at Alamo Causes Concern for Woolworth Building

On August 25, for the first time since WMF listed the San Antonio Woolworth Building on the 2020 Watch, the Alamo Trust published an image of their proposed treatment of Alamo Plaza. Since the Woolworth Building was not visible, there is public concern over its future.

WMF continues to support The Conservation Society of San Antonio in advocating for the preservation and reuse of the Woolworth Building as a museum that interprets Alamo’s diverse history and its own important role in the civil rights movement. The Woolworth Building is among the first of prominent sites in San Antonio to establish peaceful desegregation of lunch counters in 1960.

From our Library: Stowe House

Discover the WMF Library, a treasure trove of brochures, articles, slideshows, and other resources.

This week, delve into a 2010 brochure featuring stunning visuals of WMF’s restoration project at Stowe House in the United Kingdom, completed in 2016.

Heritage from Home: Jewish Heritage Program from Italy to India

Travel the world from home and visit WMF’s iconic heritage sites through our Heritage from Home series featuring our slideshow tours. In the spirit of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, this week discover WMF’s Jewish Heritage Program.

Since 1988, our Jewish Heritage Program has supported conservation work at nearly 60 sites. Today, at the Traditional Houses in the Old Jewish Mahalla of Bukhara in Uzbekistan, a 2020 Watch site, we're launching a project to document the unique built heritage of the rich history of Jewish life in Bukhara—home to part of the Jewish diaspora for over a millennium—and to support sustainable, adaptive reuse of the houses.

This slideshow will take you to some of the world’s great Jewish Heritage sites, from Venice’s 16th century Schola Canton in Italy and Mumbai’s Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue in India to the Cape Verde Jewish Heritage Research Project.

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