Raise the Hammer

The loss of this handsome, well-built, perfectly sound building likely won't be fully appreciated until we get a load of the off-the-shelf, suburban business park glass box that it will be replaced it with.

I'm sorry, but I don't see this as The Great Lesson to Be Learned. And I am once again concerned about conflation; is this all about a) the loss of a (subjectively appraised) downtown landmark, b) the self-serving interests of players, c) a lack of vision about not only what our downtown could be, but what it will be with a medical facility playing the part of anchor, or d) railing against change?

It is a tragic waste of human, economic, and material resources to chuck it into a landfill.

I'd much prefer we not combine the issues without being honest about addressing all of them singularly, first. And I'm not convinced that most of the 'discussion' facilitates this.

These are the primary reasons that many people oppose its demolition.

I don't agree. And if they are, then from my perspective, that's a little myopic. Surely this discussion can be more evolved than that, can't it?

It is patronizing of you to refer to this perfectly sensible desire to use our built resources wisely, as some kind of fanboy 'canonization' of Singer's building.

I don't find it patronizing in the least. And I'm still scratching my head at the umbrage you (and others) have taken at Mahesh's comments. Following on this, the accusations of condescension, etc. I've seen nothing in his remarks that strikes me this way. He acknowledges that the aesthetic merits of the BOE building are subjective. He puts forth his qualified opinion, he doesn't lord it over anyone...however, I think it's reasonable to at least acknowledge his background and credentials. Otherwise, we begin to wander down that nasty road that many in the US are prone to want to: that of accusations towards the 'intellectual elite'.

Again; surely we're better than that.

In an unrelated discussion this week I was asked "Why do conversations in Hamilton always hit a wall?"

My answer was basically that there's too much frustration, that often those involved are weary, therefore additionally prickly...and that in the end, graciousness is mostly absent from the city's discourse.

Comment edited by mystoneycreek on 2011-11-17 07:22:09