Historic Preservation Meets American Idol

"In a high-tech twist on historic preservation, 25 Bay Area historic sites just finished a seven-week battle for $1 million in restoration funding through an online contest that let visitors vote on favorite landmarks.

The cyber balloting specifically excluded exalted monuments such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. Instead, the contest's co-sponsors, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express, chose less obvious candidates, such as a 1920s-era public pool and a town hall on the Marin County coast.

Berkeley's First Church of Christ, Scientist - an Arts and Crafts-style structure designed by Bernard Maybeck - emerged on top, with 18 percent of the vote, which ended Tuesday."