ruminations about architecture and design

Monday, November 28, 2011

towards a preserved architecture

I actually had my camera with me yesterday and I snapped this photo of the "Dainty Dot" building on Essex Street in Boston. This structure will probably be demolished within the next five years (make it ten, things move more slowly now) and while some people are still unhappy about that I think there is an overall sense of resignation. In general, I have conflicted attitudes towards preservation because although older buildings have a lot of character, architecture hasn't stood still. Egress and accessibility are much improved, and quality of interior space tends to be, on average, better. This type of building, what can be termed a "full block build-out" looks good on the outside but its interior spaces are probably jumbled up, particularly in those areas that aren't near windows. The larger issue is that the place isn't maximizing its property value. That's a death sentence for a work of commercial architecture in a city.

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