Success Stories
It was difficult, but we have picked 50 of our favorite projects, and broken them down by region so that you can see what we've been doing - with your help - all across America.
Just take a look at the projects we picked below:
NORTHEAST
Center for Science in the Public Interest, DC America the Beautiful helped start this public interest group which now promotes better health through information on the national media on a safer food supply.
Old Post Office, DC An America the Beautiful adaptive use plan saved this landmark from demolition and started the restoration of Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.
Annapolis Market, MD America the Beautiful helped to save this historic square from being turned into a parking lot and made it the focus for the restoration of this 18th century town.
Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ
America the Beautiful helped rescue this historic church building for a regional
cultural center, museum and school of art.
Historic Cape May, NJ
America the Beautiful started the preservation of the biggest collection of
Victorian architecture in America through a cable TV oral history program
on America's oldest seashore resort
Delaware Water Gap National Park PA/NJ
America the Beautiful started an Artist-in-Residence program that helped raise
public awareness of the beauty of the area to the point where it was
made a National Park for all Americans to enjoy.
Jersey City Risorgimento, NJ
America the Beautiful helped revitalize the "Little Italy" section
of Jersey City by cleaning up vacant lots and planting gardens; painting
street signs, light poles, and trash cans red, white, and green; and
publishing a walking guide to the historic neighborhood.
Glimmerglass Opera, Cooperstown, NY
What America the Beautiful started as a small, regional opera company is now
a partner of the New York City Opera and the national showcase for
new American operas.
Greenmarkets, NY
This America the Beautiful project made it possible for farmers in New York,
New Jersey and Pennsylvania to sell fresh produce at 17 locations in
New York City.
Science Museum of Long Island, NY
America the Beautiful helped change an old estate on the north shore of Long
Island into an environmental science education center and a nature
preserve.
Hope Community, NY
What America the Beautiful began as a block association backyard improvement
is now a community low-income housing corporation that owns $50 million
worth of Manhattan real estate.
Chinatown Arts Council, NY
America the Beautiful helped start the Chinatown basement workshop which has
developed into the Chinese American Arts Council, promoting Chinese
traditional culture and improving the Chinatown community.
Regional Food Bank, Malone, NY
America the Beautiful helped volunteers use an abandoned airport to grow food
for a regional food bank serving hungry families in 24 counties of
upstate New York.
Sonnenberg Gardens, Canandaiga, NY
America the Beautiful arraigned for the Veteran' Administration to transfer
this 19th century estate to a volunteer group who restored the Victorian
gardens into a major botanical museum and cultural center.
Spencertown Academy, NY
America the Beautiful helped save this 19th century landmark as a cultural center
featuring plays based on the town's history during the Revolutionary
War, exhibits of local mementos, and stories by local artists.
Queens Colonial Farm Museum, NY
America the Beautiful helped save the oldest existing farm in New York City
as a living history center and museum of early colonial life.
Edward Hopper Museum, Nyack, NY
America the Beautiful helped to restore Edward Hopper's childhood home into
a museum of local American art and Hudson River painting.back to
top
Delaware Water Gap National Park, PA/NJ
America the Beautiful started an Artist-in-Residence program that helped raise
public awareness of the beauty of the area to the point where it was
made a National Park for all Americans to enjoy.
Old Dry road Farm, Schwenksville, PA
America the Beautiful helped turn this landmark into a living colonial farm
and educational center for the community.
Pawtucket Children's Museum, Pawtucket, RI
America the Beautiful helped volunteers start this "hands-on" children's
museum and preserve an important landmark house, the 1840 Pitcher-Goff
Mansion.
SOUTHEAST
Palmetto School Garden, Homestead, FL
Students restored their school grounds with America the Beautiful seeds
after Hurricane Andrew destroyed it, and raised funds to restore
the Miami Zoo by selling their homegrown vegetables.
Fragrance Garden for the Blind, Ft. Myers, FL
America the Beautiful volunteers from the high school and the Master Gardeners
built a 4-acre raised bed garden for the handicapped and filled it
with fragrant flowers and herbs for the blind.
Historic Savannah, GA
America the Beautiful started the restoration of the 18th century houses and
gardens that resulted in Historic Savannah's becoming one of the
most important heritage treasures of America.
"Earth Choices" Store, New Iberia, LA
America the Beautiful helped people with learning disabilities start their
own business selling plants, crafts, pot-pourri, and compost in their
own store.
Bunk Johnson Park, New Iberia, LA
America the Beautiful helped the community to clean up a rubble-filled lot and
turn it into a park to honor one of the most famous Dixieland Jazz
musicians, where he was born.
Old Mint, New Orleans, LA
America the Beautiful helped save this landmark in the French Quarter as a museum
of Louisiana culture and history.
Mars Hill Herb Festival, NC
America the Beautiful helped low-income women to start growing herbs and flowers
and they now have two annual Herb Festivals that attract 15,000 visitors
and bring income to this depressed area.
Historic Charleston, SC
With a small Revolving Fund from America the Beautiful, volunteers saved over
100 historic buildings in the Ansenborough neighborhood and have
encouraged historic easements on important landmark buildings.
Historic Rugby, TN
America the Beautiful helped restore this crafts colony founded by Thomas
Hughes, the author of "Tom Brown's School Days."
Storytelling Center, Jonesboro, TN
America the Beautiful started a storytelling festival, which has become an
annual event and has preserved the oral histories, legends, and folklore
of America.
Santa Susanna Mountain Park, Chatsworth, VA
America the Beautiful helped volunteers to save and protect a historic pioneer
trail and make it into a community park.
Old Town Archeology, Alexandria, VA
America the Beautiful helped start the volunteer archeology program that helped
find and save the priceless artifacts of 18th century life in George
Washington's hometown.
Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA
America the Beautiful helped a group of artists and craftsmen to transform
the old WWII Topedo Factory on the Potomac into an art school and
studios for working artists, and a place for residents and tourists
to see and purchase original art directly from the artists.
Second Genesis Farm, Alexandria, VA
America the Beautiful helped recovering drug addicts to start their own farm
and learn to sell their own produce.
Bull Run Mountains, VA
America the Beautiful volunteers donated strategic properties to save this historically
and ecologically rare area for future generation.
MIDWEST
Amana Kinderschule, Amana, IA
America the Beautiful helped volunteers to restore this landmark kindergarten
building in their historic colony to honor all the pioneers who
founded this community and brought it to success and prosperity.
Lincoln Project, Springfield, IL
America the Beautiful helped volunteers to save the old train depot as a Lincoln
Historical Center that shows his life in their town.
Chanute Aquatorium, Gary, IN
America the Beautiful helped restore the 1920's Gary Bathing Beach bathhouse designed
by the noted "Prairie School" architect George Mauer
as a museum to aviation pioneer Octave Chanute and the Tuskegee
Airmen of WWII.
American Musical Theater, Witchita, KS
America the Beautiful helped start a new museum of the history of the American
indigenous art form, the musical comedy.
Prairie/Plains Resource Institute, Aurora, NE
America the Beautiful helped to preserve and restore 365 acres of biologically
diverse grasslands in their natural state.
Miami River Corridor, OH
America the Beautiful helped volunteers to save a greenbelt through a two-county
area along the historic Great Miami River with an exciting range
of cultural, historical, and nature programs up and down the river.
Ashville Museum, OH
America the Beautiful helped start one of the best small museums in America
by saving a local rail road depot and turning it into an exhibit
of the history and growth of their hometown. It has gone on to be
named one of the 25 best museums by Roadside America and has been
shown on the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Children's Memorial Gardens, Oklahoma City, OK
America the Beautiful provided 10,000 spring bulbs to plant memorial gardens
in honor of children who were killed in the Federal Building bombing.
Beautiful Lakota Gardens, Pine Ridge Reservation, SD
Eight schools on the Reservation involved over 200 students
in learning about Native American agriculture by planting America the Beautiful seeds
and using the produce to feed their families.