I'm all for preserving historically significant buildings and sites and neighborhoods, but what some people fail to understand is that not everything old must be saved. Yes, it's at times painful to see older buildings, especially those with a somewhat unique look to them as this building has, go the way of the wrecking ball, but in some cases (and it seems the GM who wrote this Op/Ed makes a pretty strong one), it actually makes the most sense.
We often see this when a long-time major leaugue arena or stadium is replaced by a new one. Right away the preservationists and those with fond memories of the concerts and events that took place there raise the flag and want to designate it historic and save it. Of course, those same people normally have no inkling on how things like property taxes, ongoing maintenance and a required level of security will be funded, they just know they don't want their beloved stadium taken down because it's "special". While a few do find a second lease on life, in most case they're either taken down right away, or in others, they're left to rot, unused, unloved and forgotten about, until finally they're beyond repair and they can finally be imploded or bulldozed.