Rotting Buildings

One of the hot debates in historic preservation (What? You doubt the heat?) these days centers around the question of when a historic site or building has reached a point at which we can say "Stop! It should be preserved exactly as it is." The question is made quite tricky for a number of reasons, such as the historic evidence we have of sites which were vastly improved through changes made decades or even centuries after the original site was completed (see the Piazza San Marco in Venice). Another sticky point is the possibility that some sites should not be preserved at all, as discussed in this interesting article from Slate, "Rot in Peace" (the point of this entry is that you should read this article). I certainly don't have the same degree of sympathy she esposes for Camilo José Vergara's ideas for the center of Detroit (which I think are ridiculous and awful), but she makes some interesting points (and pictures are worth seeing).