Exposition on Demolition

[PonderInc]

Lately, I've been thinking about the old Apollo Theater (now a Walgreens at 15th and Lewis) and other cool old buildings that have been demolished in the name of progress.  

I'm sure Walgreens is bringing in more tax dollars than the Apollo ever did, but I think a city loses more than money when we lose our character and our beauty...the things that make us unique. (What will separate Tulsa from Topeka when all we have are Walgreens and Best Buys?)

The trick is to respect personal property rights, while understanding that an individual may technically "own" something that, in a way, belongs to the community at large.  Our structures are the public face of our communities...and when you destroy a beautiful old building, it's a public loss.  Once it's gone, you've robbed future generations of the chance to enjoy/value that structure.

I've been looking at the city codes and ordinances to figure out how the demolition process works.  Does anyone know the current laws related to demolition of buildings?  So far, what I've found is that a demolition permit costs $4 per 1,000 cubic feet of "building volume."

I doubt that we'll be able to place a "moritorium" on demolishing buildings downtown, but I wonder what steps can be taken to make it a little tougher to destroy cool, old architecture?

Could we change the city ordinances to require public notification of demolitions (on a web site/newspaper)?  Perhaps there should be a waiting period before the permit would be issued? (Avoiding the permit Friday, demolish Monday situation...)  Is there some way to make demolitions less financially attractive (like requiring  recycling of demolished materials...?) Or make a distinction based on the age of the building (like if it's more than 50 years old, the restrictions are greater...?)

I'm just brainstorming here...without much actual knowledge.  Obviously, the real solution is to educate people about the value of older architecture and the availability of funds to restore historic structures...and to prove by our choices that old buildings matter (eg: eat at McNellies, not at Red Robin...support local merchants in older neighborhoods, not out-of-state corporations that sustain 71st and Mingo.)

Thoughts?  How do other cities do it?