Do You Believe in an Architectural Afterlife?

Using Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, which was demolished in 2001, as a case study, Keith Eggener argues that the life of a building isn't confined to its physical presence as a whole object.

1 minute read

October 27, 2012, 1:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


When does life end? For an animal, or for a building, the answer to this elemental question seems elusive. "When does architecture, once started, stop?" asks Eggener. "Does it end when human
occupation or attention terminates, when function or fabric are removed?"

"The cessation of a building's material presence might be one indicator
of building death, but even this is not so clear-cut. Buildings, like
people, regularly live on, not in abstract ethereal realms but in human
memory and in the technologies and artifacts we use to support those
memories." And in the case of Baltimore's beloved Memorial Stadium, which was dedicated to the memory of those who fought and served in World Wars I and II, "the building lives on today in some surprising and remarkably tangible ways," says Eggener.

In this long read, Eggener traces the building's birth, life, agonizing death, and odd afterlife as a parable of "the
vulnerability, the mortality, of all things standing."

Monday, October 22, 2012 in Places

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo walking down city street.

Cuomo Is the Candidate of Both NIMBYs and Developers. What Gives?

In the New York City mayoral race, odd bedfellows align to preserve the housing status quo.

June 23, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

30 minutes ago - Governing

Large building under construnction in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia at sunset.

Charlottesville Temporarily Has No Zoning Code

A judge ordered the Virginia city to throw out its newly revised zoning code, leaving permitting for new development in legal limbo.

1 hour ago - Charlottesville Tomorrow

Aerial view of new neifhborhood under construction with enpty lots in foreground.

In California Battle of Housing vs. Environment, Housing Just Won

A new state law significantly limits the power of CEQA, an environmental review law that served as a powerful tool for blocking new development.

July 2 - CALmatters