Charlotte Sacrificing Old Buildings For New Ones

"On Sunday, another one bites the dust. The implosion of the old Charlotte Coliseum will add to the body count of memory-laden Charlotte buildings that got scraped away.

In some ways it's understandable why the Coliseum, only 19 years old, is expendable. It was designed for a city with no NBA team, built before pricey luxury seats were seen as essential.

Even so, it adds to a continuing Charlotte mystery: Why do we tear down so much?

I don't have easy or complete answers. Some of the factors are specific policies: A state building code that until a few years ago made renovations expensive. Yet there's also a civic habit: a uniquely Charlotte striving to be always bigger, always bolder.

But as I've watched development here, I've also noticed that many other growing cities haven't seen demolition derbies like Charlotte's."