PLATFORM : Recycle Buildings to Make Jobs, Save Resources
At the rate we’re going, it is conceivable that virtually every historic building in Los Angeles will be demolished within the next generation. Today, a number of significant buildings are threatened with demolition, including the Examiner Building, the May Company at Wilshire and Fairfax and the Ambassador Hotel. Hundreds of other buildings are vacant or underused.
In an era when we must recycle paper and glass, why do we continue to needlessly demolish historic buildings? Under-used buildings represent an untapped resource to accommodate economic growth without increased demand on infrastructure. Re-use of buildings conserves both the energy and natural resources expended to construct them, while demolition exacerbates our landfill problem. Rehabilitation is labor-intensive, providing jobs without consuming raw materials.
Recycling our historic buildings for new, creative uses preserves our history and provides some of the city’s most exciting spaces. An old water treatment plant is reused as a film library and archive. Restaurants such as Campanile, Engine Co. No. 28 and Tamayo thrive in reused buildings. Affordable housing is provided in scores of rehabilitated buildings around the city.
While it may take a little more creativity to match needed uses with historic buildings, it certainly makes economic and environmental sense.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
