Article: What's the point of the past? (old buildings)

Old buildings are touchstones of authenticity in a world increasingly bewildered and besmirched with meaningless signs derived from the past. But we have to work on old buildings themselves because they are subject to the attrition of custom and time. How should we work with them today?

Old buildings represent capital of two kinds. First, economic - in that we inherit a massive investment of resources and energy from our ancestors which we should destroy only with the greatest deliberation and analysis of potential gains and losses in material terms. The second type of capital is cultural: the buildings we grow up with are some of the most deeply moving parts of the ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!