National Trust's top honor goes to Tom Butt for decades of historic preservation in Richmond
The National Trust for Historic Preservation has awarded former Richmond Mayor Tom Butt the Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award – their highest national honor, in recognition of his work in historic preservation.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit organization that has led the movement to save America's historic places for more than 70 years.
Each year, the National Trust asks members of the preservation field to nominate individuals, and those nominations are vetted by members of our Board of Trustees.
Elliot Carter, Senior Manager of media relations for the National Trust, said an award is only given if there is a clear demonstration of outstanding achievement and contributions to the historic preservation field.
"Mr. Butt has been making an impact locally and nationally for the past 50 years, and his lifetime of work truly embodies the spirit of this award," Carter said.
Butt, the founding principal and president of Richmond's Interactive Resources, has made a significant national impact on historic preservation through his work as a legislator, mayor, architect, author, volunteer, developer, and activist.
According to the National Trust, Butt's success in lighthouse preservation became the basis for a new nationwide Coast Guard policy. For his role in founding Rosie the Riveter Trust, the nonprofit partner of Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Park, Butt brought national recognition to American WWII workers, significantly including women and minorities.
In its announcement of the award, the National Trust said Butt transformed Richmond from "a town in decline with no preservation agenda to a recognized national leader in preservation that has revitalized the city."
Despite all of his accomplishments, word of the award came as a surprise to the former mayor.
"If you take a look at other winners, I didn't think I had much of a chance," Butt said with a grin.
Former mayor Rosemary Corbin said Richmond is very lucky to have Tom Butt, who has spent decades preserving our city's long, rich history.
"He teamed up with Lucretia Edwards to save the East Brother Lighthouse, The Ford Building, Pt. Molate, & the Pt. Richmond Historic District, among other resources, and he follows through to see that they are properly maintained," Corbin said. "He was instrumental in the development of our Rosie the Riveter National Park and the Bed & Breakfast at the Lighthouse. He is very bright, a good writer, and a tireless supporter of Richmond, and he was a great mayor."
In addition to the Rosie the Riveter Park, Butt also founded and is the president of the East Brother Light Station, Inc., a non-profit organization focused on maintaining the historic East Brother Island Lighthouse on East Brother Island, a Bay Area landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.
But, it's Rosie that the former mayor is best known for and spends much of his time supporting.
The Rosie the Riveter Memorial began as a public art project in the 1990s. It was a vision of former Richmond Councilmember Donna Powers, who was inspired by family members who worked to support the war effort.
As Powers was leaving the city council, she asked Butt to take over the project and see it through to completion. With Butt in charge, the project came to the attention of the National Park Service, leading to the establishment of the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park.
"The National Park Service was looking for a home front the site, but there aren't many left around the country, and it turned out Richmond had the most intact homefront," Butt said.
Linda Hemmila
Butt said that the preservation of history is important because it illustrates change and progress. World War ll was a pivotal moment in civil rights, during which women and minorities were given opportunities not previously available to them. Butt explains this is an important piece of history in Richmond as well as in other cities with shipyards.
"The work in the shipyards was the first time women had the opportunity to work at jobs other than teaching and nursing and be paid well for it," Butt said. "It was also the first time that minorities, primarily African Americans, were given the same opportunities, and it was the first time they all worked together in the same place."
According to Cindy L. Heitzman, Executive Director of the Califonia Historic Preservation Foundation, Butt created one of the most successful preservation programs in America.
"Tom Butt played multiple key roles in bringing national recognition to American WWII workers, significantly including women and minorities, in America’s 'arsenal of democracy,' by bringing the Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park to Richmond, CA. Although the park is in Richmond, where 747 ships were built and sent off to war, it tells the WWII home front story for the entire nation," Heitzman wrote in her recommendation letter.
Jonathan B. Jarvis of The Park Professional, LLC said Butt worked for decades, not only preserving Richmond's history but also bringing out the stories of the community through the voices of extraordinary people like Betty Soskin.
"I remember vividly walking with Tom into the massive and historic Ford Assembly building, which at the time was an abandoned shell, full of broken windows, junk, and pigeons. Only a visionary like Tom could see its potential and a willingness to commit to the NPS that we would be a part of the development. Today, the Ford Assembly building is restored to preservation standards and a vibrant commercial and performance facility," Jarvis said. "Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park Visitor Center was developed as a part of that project and today is a highly popular destination and a point of community pride."
When asked what the award meant to him, the former mayor said, "The best thing it can do for me, and Richmond is the public recognition of the kind of things we have done here are important and credible," Butt said.
A formal awards ceremony will be held on Monday, October 28, in New Orleans.
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