Retrofitting Old Buildings

Sam Roter writes, “Every time I see an old so-called ‘charming Victorian’ building, I think of broken bodies and crushed skulls,” an outcome he believes inevitably will result from “our misguided taste for l9th-Century architecture” (letter, Nov. 23).

As one who freely professes to that taste (and, by choice, both lives and works in historic buildings), I must take issue with Roter’s determined ignorance about seismic technology. Structural engineers have developed methods for seismic retrofitting of historic buildings that make them every bit as safe as the structures being built today, without destroying their special architectural qualities.

Los Angeles with no beautiful old buildings left (as Roter prefers) would be a dreary place that would deserve its reputation for vapidity. Next we might as well burn all the old books in the library, ban all art museums except the Museum of Contemporary Art, and prohibit the Chamber Orchestra from playing any compositions antedating John Cage. But lots of us “misguided” souls perversely choose old books, art, music and buildings over the bland productions of the mini-mall minds that seek to bulldoze our historic heritage.

JAY ROUNDS

Executive Director Los Angeles Conservancy