Bartram’s Garden Named to World Monuments Fund’s Irreplaceable America List
Bartram’s Garden recognized among 10 heritage places that have shaped the nation’s unique history on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
We are proud to announce that Bartram’s Garden has 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.
Bartram’s Garden is a 50-acre public park and National Historic Landmark on the Tidal Schuylkill River in Southwest Philadelphia. The site is named for John Bartram (1699–1777), who is internationally recognized as one of America’s most prestigious early botanists and responsible for introducing European and colonial audiences to the flora of North America. Founded in 1728, his specimen garden is the country’s oldest surviving botanic garden, where many native plants that are now familiar around the world were studied and cultivated by the Bartram family. Bartram’s Garden is also Philadelphia’s oldest excavated site, revealing evidence of Native settlements as early as 2,000 BCE.
Today, Bartram’s Garden is open free to the public every day, welcoming more than 125,000 visitors annually for free and low-cost year-round programming focused on safe outdoor recreation, ecosystems education, urban agriculture and gardening, and cultural activities. The Garden is also nationally recognized for its paid youth workforce development programming and maintains partnerships with more than 40 local schools and rec centers.
The non-profit John Bartram Association has managed and programmed the site since the 1890s. As Bartram’s Garden prepares to celebrate its 300th anniversary in 2028, the organization is focused on ensuring the site’s long-term resilience, especially as the changing climate impacts the landscape and riverfront. Thanks to more than $2 billion in planned public and private development in the surrounding neighborhood, the park is also preparing to welcome more visitors than ever before, which will require balancing increased demand with care for the landmark ecosystems.
“It is an honor to be recognized on World Monuments Fund’s Irreplaceable America list alongside such diverse and inspiring places that reflect the richness of our nation’s history and heritage,” said Maitreyi Roy, Executive Director of Bartram’s Garden. “This recognition affirms the importance of Bartram’s Garden not only as America’s oldest surviving botanic garden but also as a living landscape where nature, history, and community continue to shape one another. Preserving this place means honoring the many stories held by the land—its plants, its people, and the neighborhood that surrounds it—while ensuring that future generations can learn from and care for it. We hope this recognition inspires curiosity, stewardship, and a deeper connection to the natural world, and we invite everyone to experience the Garden for themselves.”
“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.”
In preparation for the 300th anniversary in 2028, Bartram’s Garden has engaged OLIN to develop a new Long-Range Landscape Plan that honors and sustains the site’s many histories for generations to come. Fundraising is also currently underway to establish the Garden’s first dedicated educational facility, which will relieve traffic on the site’s 18th-century buildings and allow for expansion of popular year-round programming for children and youth, and this fall will mark the opening of FloatLab, a new tide-responsive riverfront experience and public art space developed in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia. The Garden is open free every day to everyone, in service of the Association’s mission to foster equitable relationships in nature.
Bartram’s Garden 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; Black Mountain College Studies Building, North Carolina; African Meeting House, 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.
About World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund (WMF) is the leading independent organization devoted to safeguarding the world’s most treasured places to enrich people’s lives and build mutual understanding across cultures and communities. The organization is headquartered in New York City with offices and affiliates in Cambodia, China, France, India, Italy, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Since 1965, WMF’s global team of experts has preserved the world’s diverse cultural heritage using the highest international standards at more than 700 sites in 112 countries. Partnering with local communities, funders, and governments, WMF draws on heritage to address some of today’s most pressing challenges: climate adaptation, inclusive heritage, balanced tourism, and post-crisis recovery. With a commitment to the people who bring places to life, WMF embraces the potential of the past to create a more resilient and inclusive society.
For more information about Irreplaceable America, visit wmf.org.
