Not every building is an architectural gem; some are background buildings and some are foreground. Preservationists usually concentrate on the foreground ones, but every building tells a story. Fans of classic American architecture, E.L. Doctorow and Garth Drabinsky will know the story of 22 West 24th Street in New York; it didn't look like much,but Stanford White of McKim, Meade and White had a lovely little love nest there, as architects are wont to do. It had a two storey space and a cute red velvet swing.

In 2003 it was hit by a fire; it has been boarded up ever since. Two weeks ago the Buildings Department "expressed concerns about the building's stability"- the other day someone leaned on it and it is gone.

It is a tawdry story, both Stanford White's and the demise of this building. Nobody should be allowed to neglect a building until it falls down; they are lucky nobody was killed. Use it or lose it. ::New York Times

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