Celebrating 75 years of the Power of Place
On October 26, 1949, Congress chartered the National Trust for Historic Preservation, initiating what has become a 75-year journey of protecting America’s historic places. As we commemorate this milestone, we invite you to join us in celebrating the power of places and their profound impact on our lives.
Throughout the year, we’ll be highlighting the stories, achievements, and people that continue to shape the preservation movement, offering a glimpse into the past while exploring innovative new directions for the future. Together, let’s celebrate the places that unite us and ensure they continue to inspire for generations to come.
We've got a year of events across the country planned to celebrate this milestone. Make sure you are receiving our emails so we can share details about events happening near you as they become available. Sign up for emails.
The Woodlawn Needlework Show is the largest judged needlework show in the nation, exhibiting hundreds of pieces of work submitted by needlecrafters from all skill levels and backgrounds. In 2025, Woodlawn will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Nelly’s Needlers, the volunteer corps at Woodlawn that are instrumental in orchestrating the Needlework Show.
This online program is presented via Zoom by the Smithsonian Associates program on March 16, 2025, 2:00 PM-3:15 PM ET. Tickets are $25.
During the late 1940s, two glass-walled pavilions were designed by then-leading modern architects Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. From their beginnings to the present, these houses have an intertwined history. In 1938, Mies became head of the architecture school at Chicago’s Armour Institute.
Mies was later commissioned to design a modern weekend house for Chicago nephrologist Edith Farnsworth. Johnson admired the concept of the glass, travertine, and steel residence and became familiar with it during visits to Mies’s Chicago office as he curated a retrospective of the architect’s works planned for MoMA in 1947. In 1949, Johnson designed and built his own version—the Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut
Over the years, the National Trust for Historic Preservation acquired both houses, opening them to the public in 2004. The executive directors Scott Mehaffey of the Edith Farnsworth House and Kirsten Reoch of the Glass House, discuss the fascinating shared history of these icons of Modernism.
Join us in commemorating the 75th anniversary of the National Trust by telling us about a place that is important to you. Throughout the coming year, we'll be sharing your favorite places in the spirit of celebration.
In honor of the National Trust’s 75th anniversary, the Preservation magazine team combed through the organization’s archives and other sources for images of its historic sites. Check out some of our favorite finds.
photo by: Filoli
Garden House of Filoli a National Trust Historic Site in Woodside, California.
We're celebrating 75 years of demonstrating how saving meaningful places can improve lives, motivate future generations, and strengthen communities. We hope we can count on you to build the future with us! Together we can create a better tomorrow.
“The purposes of the National Trust shall be to receive donations of sites, buildings, and objects significant in American history and culture, to preserve and administer them for public benefit.”
Congressional Charter of the National Trust for Historic Preservation
