November 21, 2006

The World Monuments Fund is now accepting nominations to the 2008 World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites. Nomination forms are available at www.wmf.org/watch.html through January 15.

The WMF publishes its Watch List every other year to highlight culturally or historically important buildings, archeological sites, landscapes, and townscapes whose threatened status demands they receive immediate conservation. Calling attention to these seriously threatened landmarks helps to raise necessary rescue funds. Indeed, this call for nominations follows on the heels of the October announcement that the WMF had just completed restoring St. George’s Church in London, a four-year, $15.6 million undertaking that qualifies as one of the organization’s most extensive projects. The church was designed by Baroque architect Nicholas Hawksmoor and built between 1720 and 1730; it was cited on the 2002 Watch List because the small parish was unable to pay for physical upkeep. WMF’s restoration returned the building to its original east-west axis, installed two lions and two unicorns recreated by master stone carver Tim Crawley, and removed alterations applied over the years.

An independent panel of experts culls the nominations for its Watch List selections. The 2008 panel will convene in May 2007.

David Sokol

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