The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company have jointly launched “This Place Matters,” a Web-based photo sharing campaign. ‘This Place Matters’ is meant “to empower Americans to weigh in on places that they feel are architecturally or culturally significant”. People are invited to go to www.preservationNation.org/thisplacematters, download a “This Place Matters” sign (pictured above), take a picture or video of themselves with the sign in front of a place that matters to them, and then post it to the “This Place Matters” Web site.

Website: This Place Matters

Press Release

April 07, 2009 03:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time
National Trust for Historic Preservation and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company Launch ‘This Place Matters’ Photo-Sharing Campaign
Online Campaign Features Personal Stories & Images Highlighting the Nation’s Architectural and Cultural Diversity

WASHINGTON—(BUSINESS WIRE)—The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company today launched “This Place Matters,” a Web-based photo sharing campaign to empower Americans to weigh in on places that they feel are architecturally or culturally significant. People nationwide will be able to post stories and photos using social media sites Flickr and Google Maps highlighting personal, regional and national places that matter to them. The campaign, made possible by the Fireman’s Fund®, will run throughout 2009. This Place Matters

“This Place Matters” will feature places great and small, famous and infamous – and even some relatively obscure – that collectively represent the nation’s cultural consciousness. Individual stories will offer insights into family heritage, neighborhood identity and the diversity of the American experience. The campaign aims to elevate the sites’ visibility and underscore the need for their preservation.

“Every day, scores of local landmarks are lost, creating holes in the hearts of communities,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “`This Place Matters’ shows that everyday places – be they a neighborhood school, downtown store or home of a local hero – are just as important as national icons in telling America’s story.”

People are invited to go to www.preservationNation.org/thisplacematters, download a “This Place Matters” sign, take a picture or video of themselves with the sign in front of a place that matters to them, and then post it to the “This Place Matters” Web site. Contributors can also elect to post stories without a photo on a special This Place Matters Google map.

“This Place Matters” is also the theme of National Preservation Month, May 2009. The Web site http://www.preservationnation.org, offers tools, activities, and discussion boards. Visitors to the site can share stories about what they are doing in their community to celebrate Preservation Month. Students are invited to learn about the preservation work of their peers in the “Teaching Preservation” blog and discuss what they are doing to save important places in their own community in the “Blackboard” forum.

“The physical structures that we insure matter deeply to our homeowners and business owners and to Fireman’s Fund,” said Steve Bushnell, product director, Fireman’s Fund. “Helping our customers preserve and protect their property is what we do, so this campaign is a natural fit for us as a sponsor.”

About Fireman’s Fund
Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company is a premier property and casualty insurance company providing personal and commercial insurance products nationwide. It is rated ‘AA-’ by Standard & Poor’s Rating Services. Fireman’s Fund is a member of the Allianz Group (NYSE: AZ), one of the world’s largest providers of insurance and financial services. For additional information, visit www.firemansfund.com.

About The National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation (www.PreservationNation.org) is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history – and the important moments of everyday life – took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, nine regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America’s stories.

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