CLEVELAND, OHIO. -- Preservation will take a high profile through an exclusive partnership between two of the most respected names in restoration and preservation - Home & Garden Television and The National Trust for Historic Preservation.

"Restore America - A Salute to Preservation" is a new public affairs initiative created to raise awareness and generate support for saving America's most beloved and historic places. National Trust President Richard Moe and HGTV President Burton Jablin announced the initiative here today to 2,000 attendees of the National Preservation Conference.

Inspired by the popular HGTV series Restore America, the initiative recognizes the restoration efforts at 12 national sites through the network's on-air and on-line programming. HGTV also is donating $1 million to the National Trust to go toward the restoration and preservation of these selected sites.

Officials of both organizations say their focus on historic preservation stems from the need to bring new vitality and livability to cities, towns and rural areas across America.

"HGTV has always been committed to showcasing restoration efforts, and now we're proud to join with the National Trust to take our efforts one step further and contribute in a more tangible way to the preservation of America's past," said HGTV's Jablin. "By using the broad reach of our television network and website, HGTV and the National Trust can help raise the awareness level of preservation activities across the United States."

The National Trust's Moe commented on the strength of an initiative built on the credibility of both partners. "HGTV is one of the nation's top resources for home and garden, restoration and preservation information. It's a very credible source of support for us, complementing recognition and support we've received this year from the White House and the Advertising Council."

HGTV will salute one of the restoration sites every month for the first year, beginning July 4, 2003, with one-minute vignettes that will air at various times throughout each day. Each of the sites also will be featured in longer segments as part of the regular Restore America series, now in its fifth season on HGTV. In addition, the national television network will present two "Restore America" specials, one in July 2003 and the other in 2004.

HGTV also will produce and air a series of public service announcements focusing on the mission of the National Trust. Finally, "Restore America - A Salute to Preservation" will be featured on HGTV's companion Web site, hgtv.com, with information on the 12 selected sites and a link to the National Trust website for those who want to learn more about preservation or become members of the Trust.
Jablin emphasized that "Restore America - A Salute to Preservation" is the first step in an ongoing public affairs partnership between HGTV and the National Trust.
The 12 featured sites, all part of Save America's Treasures - a partnership launched by the White House and the National Trust in 1998 to protect America's threatened cultural treasures - are all in various stages of restoration. The sites are:

Albuquerque, NM - Hubbell House, a well-preserved large adobe structure mixing Spanish and American traditions and culture from the Territorial Period, 1848-1912.

Astoria, OR - Liberty Theater, a classic example of the 1920s motion picture palace. Built in 1925, it opened with silent movies and vaudeville acts.

Atlanta, GA - Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. spent much of his life. The church played a crucial role in the civil rights movement.

Chicago, IL - Frederick C. Robie House, the epitome of Frank Lloyd Wright's America Prairie style of architecture. Built in 1906 by businessman and inventor Frederick C. Robie.

Detroit, MI - Cranbrook House, built between 1908 and 1920, it remains an outstanding example of early 20th century design and craftsmanship.

Hartford, CT. - Mark Twain House, a monument to one of America's great writers and social commentators. The house, with its Louis Comfort Tiffany interior, served as the Mark Twain branch of the Hartford Public Library for years before a total restoration began in the 1950s.

Lenox, MA - Edith Wharton's Home, known as The Mount. Wharton - the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize - designed the house and gardens.

Los Angeles, CA - Far East Building, part of the Little Tokyo National Historic District which includes a three-story 1909 hotel, storefront and restaurant.

Manteo, NC - Bodie Island Lighthouse, which Union troops controlled during the Civil War and Confederate troops blew up in 1861. The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1872 and, with its outbuildings, remains a classic example of the American light station.

New York, NY - Lower East Side Tenement Museum, dedicated to presenting tenement life in America while promoting tolerance and historical perspective through interpretation of the immigrant experience.

San Francisco, CA - Conservatory of Flowers, the oldest public conservatory in the Western Hemisphere, boasts a collection of very rare and historic tropical plants.

Washington, D.C. - President Lincoln & Soldiers' Home National Monument, a little-known 14-room Gothic Revival cottage and early presidential retreat, where Abraham Lincoln spent a quarter of his presidency and where he drafted the Emancipation Proclamation.

About the National Trust for Historic Preservation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting the irreplaceable. Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the Trust provides leadership, education and advocacy to save America's diverse historic places and revitalize communities. Its Washington, D.C. headquarters staff, six regional offices and 21 historic sites work with the Trust's quarter-million members and thousands of local community groups in all 50 states.
The National Trust's growing collection of historic sites ranges from neighborhood schools and churches to elegant old hotels and movie theaters.

Save America's Treasures was originally founded in 1998 as the centerpiece of the White House National Millennium Commemoration and as a public-private partnership that included the White House, the National Park Service and the National Trust. Dedicated to the preservation and celebration of America's priceless historic legacy, Save America's Treasures works to recognize and rescue the enduring symbols of American tradition that define us as a nation. Honorary Chair First Lady Laura Bush leads this effort along with National Trust president Moe joining noted author, Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as co-chairs.

About HGTV
America's leader in home and garden programming, HGTV is distributed to approximately 80 million households, making it one of the fastest-growing networks in cable TV history. HGTV airs many programs with a preservation theme in addition to Restore America, such as If Walls Could Talk, Renovations, Homes of Our Heritage, Old Homes Restored and This Old House Classics. The Web site HGTV.com - the nation's leading on-line home and garden destination - draws more than 2.5 million unique visitors on average each month. HGTV programming also is distributed internationally throughout Canada and in parts of Europe, Asia and in Australia. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn., HGTV has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta.

HGTV is one of four television networks that comprise Scripps Networks, one of the nation's most successful developers of original brands and content for cable television and the Internet.Scripps Networks is owned by The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE:SSP), which operates 21 daily newspapers and 10 broadcast television stations. The E.W. Scripps Company also operates Scripps Howard News Service; United Media, the worldwide licensing and syndication home of PEANUTS and DILBERT; and 32 Web sites, including HGTV.com, FoodTV.com, DIYnet.com, FINELIVING.com and Comics.com.