Contact:
Christine Madrid French
President
P.O. Box 100505
Arlington, VA, 22210
Phone: 434-293-2872
E-mail: president@recentpast.org
Web site: www.recentpast.org

Membership Information
RPPN membership is intended to create an active network of people who share concerns for buildings and structures of the recent past. Joining RPPN is easy—our membership form is available online, in our brochure, and in our yearly newsletter. We accept PayPal as well under the address membership@recentpast.org. We deliberately set our rates as low as possible to encourage people from all walks of life to join and help save the recent past; basic membership starts at just $15. More information is available on our Web site. 

Brief Summary of the Organization and Its Mission
RPPN is an international grassroots alliance of scholars and activists dedicated to saving structures of the recent past, particularly those that are not widely recognized as significant or are too young to fall under the general protection of the National Register of Historic Places “fifty-year rule.” Too often we lose important buildings from this period, buildings that are generally considered "out of style" or declared "non-contributing" at the civic, state, or national level. Yet the styles, forms, materials, and philosophies of architecture from the last 70 years is more varied than any other period of historic architecture. We want to help you save a part of that history for the future. With these goals in mind, RPPN was established in October 2000. Today the network includes nearly 200 members and regional representatives in 21 states and British Columbia. Our mission is to promote preservation education, assistance, and activism to encourage a contextual understanding of our modern built environment. We assist both veteran and fledgling preservationists by providing an open community platform for the development and revision of practical strategies to document, preserve, and reuse historic places of the recent past.

Initiatives in the Past Year Illustrating the Focus and Direction of the Organization
RPPN maintains an extensive online resource of information available free to the public as part of its nonprofit community outreach initiative. The most helpful (and popular) features include:

• National Windshield Survey: An extensive and rapidly growing resource of photographs, information, and significance statements organized by building type. Now including 30 categories such as arenas, stadiums, and superdomes; Cold War sites and military installations; drive-in restaurants; and shopping malls.
• “Historical Bibliography of Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urbanism in the U.S. Since World War II,” compiled by Richard Longstreth, professor of American Civilization and director of the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at George Washington University. A valuable teaching resource exclusive to RPPN, updated annually.
• Statements of Significance, National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmark Nominations. Full-text nominations for buildings fewer than 50 years old, including diners, communications towers, and the Seattle Monorail.

Preservation Issues that are of Particular Concern to Your Organization
Preservation issues currently being addressed by RPPN:

• Absence of a consistent methodology for determining the significance of buildings fewer than 50 years old which do not qualify under the “exceptional importance” standard set by the National Register of Historic Places
• Pervasive lack of recognition accorded to vernacular buildings from the recent past, by both the public and governmental entities
• Absence of comprehensive surveys of buildings fewer than 50 years old at civic, regional, and state levels

Preservation Trends/Opportunities that Your Organization Views as Advancements or Potential Advancements in the Field of Historic Preservation at Large and/or Advancements in Historic Preservation within Your Organization
RPPN is currently developing a model program titled Documentation Before Demolition (DBD). We, as professionals and citizens, are increasingly concerned with the preservation of a comprehensive architectural record of buildings and structures from all periods. Today’s development methods—including urban “tear-downs” and suburban sprawl—result in the demolition of a significant number of structures without the benefit of documentation. Our program can mitigate this loss of building resources within a city, region, or state by ensuring that every single building, whether currently considered historic or not, will be duly recorded. “DBD” requires that the demolishing party submit two photographs of the structure and a simple survey form when requesting the demolition permit. The records are maintained with the permit to facilitate future research and encourage public and governmental appreciation of historic architecture.

Ways the AIA/HRC and Its Members Can Be Supportive of Your Organization
RPPN is a grassroots, international organization that relies primarily on submissions, from members and the general public, to keep the community informed about endangered and saved buildings, trends in the preservation of the recent past, and other developments. AIA/HRC members can help in our mission by sending news, photographs, historical information, and links to online and other resources to submit@recentpast.org.