Now that Los Angeles' Century Plaza Hotel has been listed as one of the nation's most endangered historic places, preservationists argue the irony behind developers' plans to demolish the building to "green" the area.
"Rosenfeld, who bought the property a year ago for $366.5 million with backing from D.E. Shaw Group, has said his idea was influenced by a proposal unveiled in early 2007 to make Century City greener, less car-centric and more pedestrian-friendly. His architect, Henry N. Cobb, contends that the new configuration would help connect key parts of the neighborhood and create a public gathering place.
National Trust President Richard Moe took issue with that.
'The owners bought it and called it a jewel in their hometown but now want to demolish it as part of the greening of Century City?' he said. 'They're doing just the opposite. They couldn't do a more un-green thing.'
Moe maintains that the building contains a great deal of 'embodied energy,' the energy required to manufacture the materials, transport them to the site and assemble them into a building. He has recently been speaking to groups nationwide about this notion to demonstrate that historic preservation can be a tool to achieve sustainability."
FULL STORY: Preservationists, developer square off over Century Plaza Hotel
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