, located in the
Dupont Circle neighborhood of
Washington, D.C. The National Trust moved its headquarters to the
Watergate complex in 2013. Toward the end of the 19th century, in response to increased immigration and the broad effort of rebuilding after the
Civil War, the country was developing a renewed sense of national identity and history. The government began to enact legislation for the preservation of sites and objects deemed significant to the nation's history. In 1872, an
Act of Congress established the first
National Park,
Yellowstone. In 1906, the
Antiquities Act enabled the President to declare landmarks or objects as a
national monument. Meanwhile, historic preservation initiatives existed on local and state levels. In 1931,
Charleston, South Carolina, created the first
historic district for protection. However, efforts to save and maintain historic sites were still largely limited to private citizens or local groups. In the late 1940s, leaders in American historic preservation saw the need for a national organization to support local preservation efforts. In 1946,
David E. Finley Jr.,
George McAneny, Christopher Crittenden, and Ronald Lee met at the
National Gallery of Art to discuss the formation of such a national organization. This meeting was followed by a larger gathering on April 15, 1947, attended by representatives from a number of art, architectural, and
historical societies, which culminated in the creation of the National Council for Historic Sites and Buildings. The organization's first headquarters was in the offices of
Ford's Theatre (Lincoln Museum) in downtown
Washington, D.C. The Council pursued the formation of a National Trust for Historic Preservation, somewhat modeled on the British
National Trust, which would be tasked with the acquisition and maintenance of historic properties. The private, nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation was formally established by charter through the Act of Congress when President
Harry S. Truman signed the legislation on October 26, 1949. The charter provided that the Trust should acquire and preserve historic sites and objects of national significance and provide annual reports to Congress on its activities. Archaeologist Richard Hubbard Howland became the nonprofit's first president in 1956. &
Pope-Leighey House,
Alexandria, Virginia, was the first site acquired for the National Trust portfolio The National Trust and the National Council existed side by side for several years until the need to merge resources compelled the executive committee to integrate the two entities. In 1952, the boards of both organizations approved a
merger of the Council into the National Trust. The merger was effective the following year and was completed by 1956. In 1957, the National Trust officially acquired its first property,
Woodlawn Plantation in northern
Virginia. Since then, the National Trust portfolio of historic properties and contracted affiliates has expanded to include twenty-seven historic sites, ranging from the 18th-century
Drayton Hall in
South Carolina to the
Modernist Glass House in
Connecticut. Over the next decade, the National Trust grew to become the leading national organization in historic preservation. They began working with citizens and city planning officials on legislative matters, including federal, state, and municipal ordinances for historic preservation. National Trust staff also traveled to parts of the country to advise local communities on preservation projects. In 1966, Congress passed the
National Historic Preservation Act, significant legislation for the preservation movement. The Act also provided federal funding in support of the National Trust's work. The funding later ceased in 1996, at which point the National Trust became entirely privately funded. Following the adoption of the National Historic Preservation Act, the National Trust broadened in its mission beyond administering historic sites. In 1969, the National Trust created the Preservation Services Fund to provide financial assistance to local preservation projects. In 1971, the National Trust opened its first field office in San Francisco. In 2013, the National Trust headquarters moved from the
Andrew Mellon Building on 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, NW in Washington D.C.'s
Dupont Circle to the historic
Watergate office complex. Meeks said in a statement about the move, "The selection of the Watergate demonstrates our ongoing commitment to recognizing and protecting important places from every era in American history, including the recent past.") in downtown D.C. The National Trust's programs include publication of the annual list of America's
11 Most Endangered Historic Places, first issued in 1988, which highlights endangered sites across the country. Meeks stepped down as president in December 2018. Former general counsel and chief legal officer Paul Edmondson then served as president and CEO until the spring of 2023. Beginning in January 2024,
Carol Quillen, former president of
Davidson College, began serving as president and CEO. ==Programs==