A five-alarm fire Tuesday claimed the landmark Wirt Dexter building in Chicago's south Loop, one of the few surviving structures from the partnership of Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, raises questions about the city's commitment to protecting its architectural legacy. Repeat
2 Comments
Terribly sad, I can still smell it this morning only a few blocks away - however commenting on the article which claims for a public private protection partnership i fell this is the worst way to go. These landmark buildings often butn because of economic dis-incentive. The owners cant freely change at reasonable cost the building and it's appearance to attract viable, profitable tenants. Buildings people care about, and are occupied, usually do not burn. More regulation and oversight will ensure these structures stay abandoned. Go to the gold coast or old town and you'll find landmarked protected blocks going for 75-80% what unprotected similar structures sell for. No one wants big brother telling them what they can do with their property - even if they have no taste.
Surely Evil, there's got to be a way where we can protect buildings which show us how we got to where we are without imposing straightjackets upon the landed gentry. I should point out in places like Savannah, structures on the Historric Registry can go for quite a bit more than a unprotected house - plus, only getting $7M instead of $8.5M is hardly a insurmountable burden for a gold coast resident.
Often when libertarians think of Historic Preservation districts, they think of those crazies in Berkley (and they are crazy) who want to protect every chicken coop except their own. I agree that an occupied building is the most resistant building when it comes to the forces of nature and acts of God, and that we should work towards keeping historic buildings occupied, just not at the expense of what made them special in the first place. After all we could house everyone in those beige towers in the Near North & Streeterville neighborhoods and that would be fine with the bean counters except nobody would want to live or work in such an ugly environment.
The government that governs best governs wisely, not least.
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