I mean we do need to preserve our city's architectural history as much of those styles arent seeing a revival anytime soon. However, there is a point where these buildings just cannot be saved. I am not for just burning everything to the ground and then building, but when you have the old Essex County Jailhouse just sitting in prime real estate, and being a haven for crime, while also depressing property values and every person that goes in there says no amount of cash can save it, but historical reasons keep it there because some still think they can turn it into a museum... you just gotta be realistic.

There are many buildings being razed that can literally be saved, and those should be... but anything else should be looked at objectively and move from there. Newark has a ton of resources and a wide range of wealthy anchor institutions here that many cities our size dont, and we should use them to help preserve the city's history... but at some point its not doable for some places.

However, the article makes note of an interesting theory that Mayor Baraka is razing the city's history because it represents a time when the city excluded black and brown people from its prosperity. I dont know if its entirely true, because gentrification will just do the same... but it puts a whole new spin on why he has been a very pro-development mayor compared to when he was a councilman. It basically seems to suggest that Newark's current prosperity and redevelopment happened because it was a minority city and not because its trying to shed its minority and poor people. Again, I do not know if I buy it, but if it is true what a weird logical hoop the mayor is jumping through to gentrify the city while claiming we are re-writing the city's history.