When To Preserve

"Two modern but aging and problem-plagued works of architecture in downtown Washington -- the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library and the Third Church of Christ Scientist -- pose a thorny question likely to arise much more frequently in the future: What should be the fate of such buildings in the face of mounting pressures to modify, modernize or demolish them?"

"Thanks to increased public awareness, the answer likewise comes easily for buildings considered to be cultural and architectural icons: Preserve, restore and, when appropriate, adaptively reuse them."

"But Washington, like all cities, is full of aging 20th-century buildings that possess architectural value and, though deficient functionally, technically and economically, are not completely obsolete."

"Such buildings may no longer satisfy needs because of structural and spatial limitations. Many are under-insulated and energy-inefficient, with mechanical and electrical systems in need of upgrade or replacement. Exterior materials may be at the end of their useful life."

"Can a troubled building be restored or transformed at a reasonable cost? Can that be financed? Can it accommodate new uses? How much of the original architecture should be preserved, or how extensively should it be transformed?"