Out With The Old & In With The New

Sad news from back home earlier this week.  According to an article by Jerry Burnes from the Mesabi Daily News, the Northland Building in Virginia, a building that has seen several different uses, most recently as a government services center, will face the wrecking ball next year and be replaced by a brand new building the following year, similar to the brand new Sheriff's Office and Courthouse just a few blocks down.  It joins a long list of buildings in Virginia that are either being remodeled or replaced as time goes on, and it makes me feel a little sad.

The Northland Building was not necessarily my absolute favorite place to go as a child, as it was, just like the clinic, a place where you'd sit and wait in a waiting room and play with toys or read a book until it was time to go home.  That never stopped me from being in awe at the building's wonderful design, which is truly something to appreciate.  For those who haven't been in there before, it's truly an architectural marvel that has stood the test of time until now....

Like many other buildings on the Range, it's always cheaper to replace rather than renovate, and that was true with the Northland Building.  It's been long since outdated, and costs are skyrocketing to keep it maintained.  It simply becomes cheaper to build a technology-advanced new building that's going to last for years to come, and then the really cool old one goes down for the count unless it can find a new owner, which although offers were extended and County Commissioner Keith Nelson attempted to find someone for, drew no results, which is why we're here today.

It all makes economic sense.  Why continue to keep the old one open?  Sure you have people begging to see it preserved, but if it's going to cost you more money down the road, and money is already something that our country is having trouble spending and saving, you might as well go the conveient route.

I'm going to miss the Northland Building and it's nice old-school charm, but I'm also excited to see what might take it's place.  We have a 2 year wait before we see that though...

Do you have any favorite old buildings from the days gone by that you loved?  Sound off in the comments.