I'll readily admit, some so-called "historical" sites are the kind I think we could do without. The Lister Block in Hamilton, which should have been torn down years ago, is instead going to be preserved at a cost far greater than tearing it down and building a "replica" which was the plan in the first place. The building is so full of rot one could smell it a couple of blocks away.
On the other hand, some demolitions don't make sense. A couple of days ago, a truly greedy developer decided he couldn't wait even to get a demolition permit and tore down a 160-year old institution in Hamilton, the Dynes Tavern -- to make way for a million dollar housing development. I didn't go there that much, but it had pretty decent food for a pub; and it was also the breeding ground for future music stars, among them country singer Mark LaForme who as recently as a couple of years ago still performed there even though he had long ago gotten too big for the "honky-tonk" scene.
Sure, the Beach Strip is a lucrative place. But the more homes that go in there, the less it becomes one of the last small-town neighbourhoods in the city I call home. And having the Dynes as a focal point gave the area a bit of class. For pieces of silver this jerk has thrown that all away. As for the fine he could face -- $200,000 -- he can just write it off as the cost of doing business.
Disgusting.
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