Are Any Old Buildings Unworthy of Preservation?

[Kiah]

Notwithstanding the Tulsa World's lack of credibility on this issue -- Here's an interesting philosophical question.  Do preservationists lose credibility if they take a stand to preserve an admittedly ugly and poorly designed building, just because it's old and bizarre?

quote: Constructed in 1958 as the world headquarters for the Oral Roberts ministry, the Abundant Life Building looks something like a 7-story-tall concrete block at 1720 S. Boulder Ave.

The modernist architect, Cecil Stanfield, didn't bother to include windows -- a feature that was supposed to reduce the energy bill. At the time, the windowless bulk was said to make the design fresh and innovative.

Now, it is probably why the building has been empty since the 1980s, said Angela Bradley from the city's Neighborhood Inspection Division.
"It's ugly," she said. "There's no denying that."

Tulsa World Story 1

Tulsa World Story 2