American Express and World Monuments Fund have announced $1 million in grant funding to six historic sites. This is the first allocation from a $5 million, five-year grant to the World Monuments Fund to support the World Monuments Watch. Each of the site locations was among the at-risk historical sites included on the 2012 Watch List, announced in October 2011. The projects receiving funding are the Ruta de la Amistad in Mexico City, Mexico; Salvador de Bahia, Brazil; Balaji Ghat in Varanasi, India; the Canterbury Provincial Government buildings in Christchurch, New Zealand; the ruins of the former Cathedral of Saint Michael in Coventry, United Kingdom; and the town of Sawara in Japan.
Mexico, Ruta de la Amistad
Station 5, “The Two-legged Sun”/“El Sol Bípedo” by Hungarian-French sculptor Pierre Székely, conserved, 2009
Mexico, Ruta de la Amistad
Station 17: “African Charamusca”/“Charamusca Africana,” by Moroccan sculptor Mohamed Melehi, 2009
Mexico, Ruta de la Amistad
Station 18: “Puertas al Viento” by Mexican artist Helen Escobedo, 2010
Brazil, Historic Center of Salvador de Bahia
Aerial view of historic center toward the southwest, 2009
Brazil, Historic Center of Salvador de Bahia
Palácio dos Esportes from distance, 2012
Brazil, Historic Center of Salvador de Bahia
Sculptural detail on Palácio dos Esportes, 2002
India, Balaji Ghat
Mid-twentieth century, ©Beyond the Taj, Cornell University Library Digital Collections
India, Balaji Ghat
Collapsed upper floors, 2011
India, Baliaji Ghat
Area of collapse of the top four stories, 2006
New Zealand, Canterbury Provincial Government Buildings
Stone Chamber, view from the south before the earthquake, c. 2000
New Zealand, Canterbury Provincial Government Buildings
View of the High Victorian Gothic interior of the Stone Chamber before destruction, c. 2000
New Zealand, Canterbury Provincial Government Buildings
Stone Chamber double-faced clock in rubble, 2011
United Kingdom, ruins of the former Cathedral Church of St. Michael, Coventry
View of the old cathedral from the east, new cathedral to the right, 2011
United Kingdom, ruins of the former Cathedral Church of St. Michael, Coventry
View of the ruins of the old cathedral from the tower, 2011
United Kingdom, ruins of the former Cathedral Church of St. Michael, Coventry
Detail of faces in stained glass, 2012
Japan, Sawara
Fukushin and Koboriya before earthquake, ©The Ono River and Sawara Cityscape Preservation Association
Japan, Sawara
Kyuyabuso post-earthquake, 2011
Japan, Sawara
Shojo post-earthquake, 2011
