Getty Conservation Institute Examines Challenges in Preserving African American Historic Sites
The Getty Conservation Institute's Fall 2025 issue of Conservation Perspectives examines efforts to conserve African American historic sites in Los Angeles, including 224 locations once listed in the Negro Motorist Green Book. Only 56 of those sites remain standing, while just over four percent of the city's 1,319 designated landmarks as of March 2025 are associated with African American history. The Getty Foundation partnered with the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund to launch the four-year, $4.6 million Conserving Black Modernism program in 2022, and the African American Historic Places Los Angeles project focuses on cultural preservation strategies for Oakwood in Venice, Pacoima, and the Central Avenue Jazz Corridor.
The Signal
The initiatives demonstrate how partnerships between museums, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and local government can address gaps in the National Register of Historic Places, where only about 3 percent of sites relate to Black history. By funding Modernist buildings by Black architects and embedding community mapping and internships in preservation work, the programs expand the architectural record and build local stewardship capacity. This approach signals to curators and institutions that broadening heritage criteria beyond architectural integrity can secure funding and recognition for previously overlooked sites.
- People: Brent Leggs, Susan Macdonald
- Museums: Getty Conservation Institute, Getty Foundation, Getty Research Institute
- Locations: Los Angeles
- Prices: $4.6 million
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