The justification was the glass curtain wall.taxi wrote:The BMA building was also less than 50 years old when it was listed.FangKC wrote: If this goes through, it will be the second Kansas City structure to get designation outside those rules (the other being Kemper Arena).
I was in favor of that listing and Kemper but I agree with your concern and wonder what the argument is for getting this one on the National Register of Historic Places.
Again, my primary worry about this trend is that newer buildings that don't yet meet the age standard will be sucking up historic tax credits that would normally be awarded to 100-year-old buildings that may not be saved because the tax credits went elsewhere. This could especially be the case if the Missouri Legislature cuts back on the historic tax credits in the state. More buildings would be competing for fewer credits.
We would have situations where buildings like the Hawthorne Plaza Apartments at 39th and Main would be in direct competition for tax credits with the Flashcube Building. So a cheap building that was built to be demolished would be in fighting for limited awards of tax credits with a much-older structure that was built well.
Not to mention redevelopment of arguably more historic structures that would have less economic viability because of their configuration or location--like Western Bible College at 22nd and Tracy, the Wheatley-Provident Hospital at 19th and Forest, or the old Vine Street Workhouse, and the Water Department buildings along Vine.