The debate over preserving a 43-year-old Paul Rudolph designed government office building in Goshen; Orange County, New Yorkm, came to an end Wednesday, Feb 08, 2013, when the legislature voted 15-6 to pass a proposal in favor of conserving it.
The Orange County Government building suffered water damage and mold due to the hurricanes in the area and was closed by the County Executive Educator, Edward Diana in September, 2011.
Diana had been pushing construction plans for a new government center to replace the building since 2010. He also presented a $75 million plan in May 2012, which failed to garner enough votes, reports The Times Union.
The Democrats urged the government to renovate the crippled building instead of demolishing it. Some Republicans were against the renovation. However, the long debate reached an abrupt conclusion when a group of Republicans voted for the Democrats' proposal of renovating the building. The Democrats believed that remodeling would cost much lesser than building a new one, reports New York Times.
Republicans Patrick Berardinelli, Dennis Simmons, Leigh Brenton and Steve Brescia voted against the renovation proposal. Brescia disagreed with the proposal stating that the renovation would cost more in the long run as the city would be left with an old building, reports The Herald Record.
A $10 million bonding has been issued by the legislature authorities for the remodeling plans, reports Wall Street Journal.
Preservation groups have rallied to save some of the most important and historic landmarks of America. While some were ill fated and will face the wrecking ball, some others are lucky enough to be saved.
More recently, Dallas tore down the home that JFK Assassinator, Lee Harvey Oswald once lived in. However, the city will now be preserving another house, where Oswald slept the night before he assassinated the President.