When Preservation Equals Demolition

The National Trust for Historic Preservation became a designated agent in awarding New Market Tax Credits to developers seeking tax breaks on their projects, ostensibly to advance the Trust’s mission of protecting historic properties. In one case involving a redevelopment project in downtown St. Louis, however, a developers’s priorities involved demolishing the historic Century Building to build a parking garage that would serve a nearby building, a goal quite perpendicular to the mission of the Trust, which was known for its awareness campaign slogan stating that nobody ever looks back fondly on the times they spent in a parking garage. After this story ran, the Trust’s then-president, Richard Moe, was faced with a standing-room-only crowd at its national meeting insistent that the Century Building situation never be repeated.