Beloved building vulnerable because it is not a landmark

Wrigley Building in Chicago.

Two of my favorite architecture writers, Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune and Beth Dunlop of the Miami Herald ("Our homes away from home at risk") have written recently about how the real estate market threatens landmarks, especially those that aren't designated. Dunlop's article is about hotels threatened by demolition or condo conversion, and Kamin writes about the Wrigley Building in Downtown Chicago. Because there isn't the demand for office space that there once was, plus tenants prefer "Class A" space ready for the latest and greatest in telecommunications networking and other conveniences, many buildings in what were once major commercial centers, find that these days, their "highest and best use" lies in residential conversion.