May Co. Building

* Here’s a Bronx cheer for the civic-minded folks who fought for landmark status for the Wilshire May Co. building. This empty behemoth has been a magnet for graffiti artists and vandals for years. As compared to Bullocks Wilshire, the May Co. “landmark” offers little by way of architectural beauty or historic significance.

Historic preservation, when abused, allows people who live outside of the neighborhood to feel good about themselves while not suffering the consequences of living near a white elephant. Mindlessly saving old buildings simply because they are old with no vision as to how they might be utilized is a half-baked approach. Unoccupied structures become the focus of drug dealing and homeless encampments, contributing to urban decline.

Now that the seriously underfunded Otis Parsons promise to under-restore and under-utilize the old May Co. has evaporated (Nov. 10), perhaps the community can mobilize to have the eyesore torn down. Trying to find a perfect tenant for this wanna-be landmark could take years. Meanwhile, the only preserved thing at the northeast corner of Fairfax and Wilshire is blight!

STEVE O’HARA

Los Angeles