Why Do We Love Derelict Structures?

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about my opinion regarding the Michigan Central Depot. It's a big, empty, majestic, depressing symbol of abandonment and despair and someone with a big bulldozer or at least a stick of dynamite should bring it to the ground. Unless someone can provide me a business plan with specific action items and a time line to fix and inhabit the building, it should return to the earth from whence it came.

Now, again, there is debate about the decision to tear town Tiger Stadium. What the heck is it about Michigan's obsession with maintaining empty and useless structures? I like the past and history as much as the next guy (the next guy right is Steve on the couch near me), but there are times when holding on to the past is of no benefit to anyone. Let the stadium go and hold on to your memories in your heart, not in the big abandoned building that you haven't driven by or thought about since the last time you read an article about someone wanting to demolish it.

I'm most amazed by the time and energy that people seem to be willing to put into preventing the destruction of these buildings. If we could harness that power and focus on something that actually matters, perhaps a difference could actually be made. It's like when people write petitions to save crappy TV show XYZ or when they blog about their home state - come on, use your time and energy for something meaningful. OK so maybe there is some hypocrisy here, but you don't see me fighting to "Keep alive the rabies-infested raccoons" or "Up with Depression." Pick a battle worth fighting, not one that has already been lost and is pointless. I'll always remember with utmost fondness going to a few Tiger games at Tiger Stadium during my boyhood, but we don't need a looming and hulking symbol to maintain these memories.