On Thursday May 26, the National Trust for Historic Preservation released its annual report of the top ten most endangered historic U.S. landmarks. Among those at the top of the list stood "Finca Vigia", the cozy Havana villa where Novelist Ernest Hemingway wrote "The Old Man and the Sea" and spent more than 20 years of his life. Known as "Lookout Farm" in English, the home became the first historical site outside the United States to make the list. Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation had this to say about Hemingway's home, "This is a very important part of America's cultural heritage even though it is outside our boundaries. Adding, "It is part of our shared heritage with the Cubans."Based out of Washington, the National Trust for Historic Preservation was sanctioned by the United States Congress in 1949. The organization has been publishing its annual report of endangered sites for the last 18 years and has been receiving private funding since 1998.Due to the hard lined regulations recently implicated by the Bush administration on traveling to the communist-run island, American preservationists trying to save the Hemingway home have run up against tough opposition. Last year the Hemingway Preservation Foundation in Concord, Mass., was denied a travel license to Cuba despite their trip being part of the overall effort to preserve the home. This year, working in a joint effort, the Trust and the Foundation have managed to obtain a travel license. They will be sending architects and engineers to Finca Vigia later this year to try to figure out what needs to be done to save the house.