Wright brothers sites named to ‘Irreplaceable America’ list The sites have been recognized among 10 heritage places that have shaped the nation’s unique history. The National Aviation Heritage Area is proud to announce that select Wright brothers sites have been named to Irreplaceable America, a new list from World Monuments Fund (WMF) recognizing 10 historic places across the United States whose preservation is essential to the richness and complexity of American history as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. From landmarks of public health and colonial architecture to sites central to Black history, Indigenous heritage, and artistic experimentation, the initiative spotlights places facing urgent preservation needs. The Wright Brothers sites include four entities: Huffman Prairie Flying Field, the Wright Cycle Company/Wright and Wright Printing, Hawthorn Hill, and Wright Hall where the 1905 Wright Flyer III is contained. These entities have outstanding universal value because they retain and preserve critical historical elements that tell the story of the early years of aviation. Huffman Prairie Flying Field was a cow pasture where the Wright brothers experimented with and perfected their flying machine, the Wright Flyer, in 1904 and 1905. The brothers also used Huffman Prairie as the location of their flying school and exhibition team from 1910-1916. Today, the site is part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and is operated by the Dayton Aviation National Historic Park. It retains many important aesthetic elements of its historic appearance as a pasture. The Wright Brothers operated the Wright and Wright Printing Company and then the Wright Cycle Company in rental buildings in Dayton, Ohio. The Wright brothers not only made bicycles and operated a printing press but also drafted designs for their influential aircraft. The Wright Cycle/Wright and Wright Printing Company buildings are now owned and operated by the Dayton Aviation National Historic Park, and both keep their historic exterior appearance. Hawthorn Hill is the home that the brothers designed after their massive success in the world of aviation. Although Wilbur died before the home’s completion, Orville lived at Hawthorn Hill from 1914 until his death in 1948. Today, Hawthorn Hill is operated by a non-profit organization called Dayton History and, in appearance, little has been altered since Orville’s residence. Wright Hall, a building within the Wright Brothers National Museum, a Dayton History property, is a structure that was specifically built to house the 1905 Wright Flyer III airplane. Orville Wright’s last major project was restoring and ensuring the future preservation of his most important aircraft. Wright Hall and the aircraft still stand today- the building with its original appearance and the aircraft with integrity of its original design and 85% of its original parts. The 1905 Wright Flyer III airplane is also the State of Ohio’s official airplane. The U.S. Department of Interior submitted the Wright Brother Sites, also called Dayton Aviation Sites, to the UNESCO World Heritage tentative list in 2008 where the nomination has stayed for the last 18 years. The nomination has failed to move forward for several reasons including complex site ownership, changing partnership priorities, and limited resources. These challenges can also prevent further capital investment and long-term historical preservation. “The Wright Brothers Sites demonstrate a critical story that changed humankind. The UNESCO World Heritage nomination isn’t moving forward due to funding and partnership restraints,” said Mackensie Wittmer, executive director of the National Aviation Heritage Area. “With this recognition from the World Monuments Fund and the technical assistance the recognition provides, we hope to assess and determine next steps for the nomination and bring additional resources to these critical sites.” “The United States was built by people from every corner of the globe, shaped by Indigenous nations, early settlers, immigrant communities, and generations of cultural exchange,” said Bénédicte de Montlaur, President and CEO of World Monuments Fund. “That complexity gave rise to some of America’s most enduring contributions, from colonial heritage to jazz and hip-hop and the Wright brothers’ invention of powered flight. After decades of work at more than 700 sites in 112 countries, WMF has seen what communities gain when they can protect the places that matter and what is lost when they cannot. As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, Irreplaceable America is a call to protect the places that reflect the richness of that history, and the role heritage plays in education, community memory, and civic life.” The Wright Brothers Sites appears on the list alongside nine other places reflecting both the breadth of American history and the range of preservation challenges that many historic sites face. The full 2026 Irreplaceable America list is: New York Smallpox Hospital Ruin, New York; Bartram’s Garden, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Black Mountain College Studies Building, North Carolina; African Meeting House, Boston, Massachusetts; City of New Orleans, Louisiana; Colonial Homes of Newport, Rhode Island; Dallas City Hall, Texas; Mission Churches of Acoma and Laguna Pueblos, New Mexico; Watts Towers, Los Angeles, California; and the Wright Brothers Sites in Dayton, Ohio. In addition, WMF and the external jury extended a special recognition to the National Park Service in support of the institution’s central role in shaping preservation standards and stewarding more than 430 sites across the United States. The nationwide open call for nominations resulted in 75 submissions, which underwent a structured internal review and were then evaluated by an independent expert panel. Nominations were assessed based on cultural significance, urgency of conservation needs, and the potential community benefit of preservation. The panel included Charles A. Birnbaum, President and CEO of The Cultural Landscape Foundation; Charles L. Davis II, Associate Professor of Architectural History and Criticism and Program Director of the architecture PhD program at the University of Texas at Austin; Paul Goldberger, American author and architecture critic; Anthea M. Hartig, Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the National Museum of American History; Frank Sanchis, retired Regional Director for North America at World Monuments Fund; and Francisco Uviña‑Contreras, Professor of Architecture and Planning and Director of the historic preservation and regionalism graduate certificate program at the University of New Mexico. For more information about Irreplaceable America, visit wmf.org. To learn more about the Wright Brothers Sites, visit www.visitNAHA.com.
