No doubt about it — the economy has taken a bite out of historic real estate sales. But the one-two punch of lower property prices and a slimmed-down credit market also has delivered opportunities to willing and able preservationists. Just take a look at Durham.

This past December, we at Preservation NC were thrilled to participate in Raleigh's Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour with two of our wonderful partners, the Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood and the Capital City Camera Club.

UNCG's university quad, our classic American ballpark, Greensboro’s grandest house, and a mid-20th-C. modern icon are all sites named to Preservation Greensboro’s 2009 Treasured Places Watch List.

With more than a million residents expected by the year 2030, Raleigh seeks to plan for growth while preserving the history that makes the City of Oaks unique.

Historic Charlotte, taking a lead from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has decided to create a list of Mecklenburg County’s most at risk historic places.

We hope that this list will serve as an alarm to raise awareness of the serious threats facing our architectural and historic assets. In addition, we aim to use this list as an effective tool to increase the appreciation for the wide variety of historic places on hand, as well as achieving the result of actual restoration and reuse of these buildings. We would love to see any and all of these buildings restored so that one day they would be eligible for a Historic Charlotte Preservation Award!