Stephanie McFeeters, “College is the only Ivy not spending to lobby,” The Dartmouth (9 November 2012):

For example, when the Orozco murals in Baker Library were nominated to be a National Historic Landmark, Austin said she contacted Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., to ask if she would advocate on the College’s behalf to the National Park Service.

Sure enough, the nomination for The Epic of American Civilization Murals in Baker Library shows up on a list of draft nominations to NHL status, with the nomination form (pdf) prepared by Park Service historians Roger Reed and Alexandra Lord. The nomination is part of the Park Service’s American Latino Heritage Initiative.

The National Historic Landmark program is older than the National Register of Historic Places. Landmark nominations are made by the Park Service itself rather than by private parties and are much less common than National Register listings. Every Landmark is automatically listed on the National Register.

Until now, Dartmouth has not been particularly interested in these designations, and no college-owned building has been listed on the National Register. The private Sphinx Tomb is the only building listed in Hanover.

The Manton Foundation funded the recent renovation of the Reserve Corridor, where the murals are located, and the room has been renamed the Orozco Room (Dartmouth Now, The Dartmouth).

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[Update 11.11.2012: Last paragraph added.]