National Register of Historic Places

Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre opened in 1922 and later faced decades of preservation battles; after a 15-month closure, the landmark has reopened following a $13 million restoration project

wizbuddypointm@gmail.com6 days ago06 mins

The reopening arrives with a fitting sense of occasion. Grammy-winning singer and songwriter John Legend performed at the theatre, marking the return of the venue to its regular role as one of Wichita’s cultural gathering places. For a building designed to make moviegoers feel as though they were sitting beneath an open sky, the Orpheum…

Wisconsin officials were set to demolish an 1897 jail museum for about $259,000; after a last-minute preservation push, the county board voted 26-1 to delay demolition for three months

wizbuddypointm@gmail.com4 weeks ago011 mins

Photo credit: Trip Advisor Wisconsin officials were set to demolish an 1897 jail museum for about $259,000, but a last-minute preservation push changed the timeline. After a lengthy public session in Neillsville, the Clark County Board voted 26 to 1 to delay the demolition decision for three months, giving preservation advocates more time to present…

An 82-year-old California tea importer spent 53 years on a 2-acre compound with 36+ structures; after decades of permit disputes and a 2024 National Register listing, a court ordered him to leave

wizbuddypointm@gmail.com4 weeks ago05 mins

Hoffman has acknowledged that the buildings lacked proper permits but has maintained that they were not unsafe. Enforcement actions and fines did little to prevent continued activity at the property. For more than half a century, two acres in the hills of Lagunitas became the home, workplace and personal vision of California tea importer David…

An Iowa priest vowed to build a shrine if he survived pneumonia; after recovering, he spent 42 years using over 100 train carloads of stone to create it

wizbuddypointm@gmail.com2 months ago09 mins

In the late 19th century, a young seminarian battling a life-threatening bout of pneumonia made a promise that would eventually transform a small Iowa town into the home of one of the world’s largest man-made grottos. If he survived, Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein vowed to build a shrine in honour of the Virgin Mary. He…