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Shoe House courtesy Hilton Hotels |
Atchison, Kan.—Road-trippers admiring the spiffy new facelift at the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum can thank Hampton Hotels, which donated funds and worker time to clean, paint, and repair the childhood home of the first woman to make a transatlantic flight. Hampton employees replaced the roof and installed stained-glass windows in addition to putting their painting caps and brushes to use, logging 200 hours and spending $20,000 of their bosses’ money to finish the job in late July.
The Earhart Museum was job number 38 in Hampton’s Save-A-Landmark program, dedicated to refurbishing a long list of America’s down-at-the-heels historical and cultural landmarks as well as a few in Canada and Mexico. Since Save-A-Landmark’s April 2000 launch, Hampton has spent more than $2 million on the effort.
Speaking of down-at-the-heels, Hallam, Pa.’s Shoe House (pictured) is our sole favorite thus far (sorry—couldn’t resist), but if you’ve got a cherished landmark that you think could use some TLC, hit the project’s website and let them know via the “Nominate a Landmark” link. Next up: Bridgeport, Conn.’s Barnum Museum and Richmond, Va.’s Poe Museum. — Amy Frye
