In a message dated 3/1/99 11:03:59 AM Eastern Standard Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:

<< The neighbors are rightfully concerned that the seed will be planted
 to send the neighborhood in a new direction. >>

And the new buildings will have far less ability to stand and be convertible.
In all likelihood when they become vacant they will be little more than an
eyesore. It's hard for me to believe that many of our historic structures were
built as singlemindely as the Wal Marts of today. They were built to fill a
need, but were righteous creations on there own. When they became vacant, they
still had value.

In preserving these monuments to genuine architecture, we need to preserve the
understanding of these underlying principles of purpose. Without a soul of
their own, buildings are little more than enclosure systems. When the old is
replaced with the new, we have lost more than the old. We have also lost part
of the tomorrow we used to be able to see more clearly.

Rudy