The mayor and the city council here in Midland, Texas, are falling all over themselves in anticipation of the demolition of the old courthouse and construction of a new skyscraper. It's not as if we're on an island with nowhere else to go. Midland is in the middle of nowhere. There's a lot of unused land all around available for office buildings.
Maybe it's a distaste for old buildings. Other cities around the globe cherish their old building. But not here.
This came to mind as I ran across a series of then and now photos showing the area and communities near Normandy Beach. There was a pretty big war that took place in the early and mid forties. You may have heard.
These two are good examples of before and after.
One photo shows battle damage. Note the mortar hole in the roof. The next photo shows the same building in the present. Just because something suffers a little bit of wear and tear and brutal warfare doesn't mean it's ready for demolition.
See the whole photo set at Scenes From D-Day, Then and Now. Too bad our local government can't see the value in preserving the old.
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