Why preserve old buildings?

You may sense a history/preservation theme going on here, that's because Preservation Month is coming up, in May. There are those of us who feel that old buildings ought to be saved and recycled, not torn down and replaced by cheap unattractive structures that maximize profit. Lo and behold, it is actually more sustainable to work with what you got, because of the embodied energy or, the energy it took to build in the first place. So new is not always better, as far as energy saving goes. Retrofit and weatherization can be less expensive in the long run, and help retain the old buildings that provide neighborhood flavor. The photos above show the ca. 1800 Foster House that once stood at 1615 Dorchester Avenue and the multi-unit housing that replaced it.