[Dr Awesomesauce]

Again, apologies for droning on, but who are you and what criteria are you using to determine its specialness?

Many would also agree that the pre-Confederation buildings on the South Side of the Gore are also lacking in importance. That they're 'beyond repair.' That the interiors of those buildings have been completely gutted so 'might as well knock 'em down!' And so on ad nauseam.

The bottom line is that people just love new stuff. That's our culture. The fact that it's made with pre-cast this or papier-mache that is irrelevant, I suppose.

As always, I would point to the Core Urban people as a fine example of how old, un-loved buildings can be lovingly re-developed to suit all tastes. Their MO goes beyond just profit-making. Keep that in mind evaluating the relative merits of this ill-scaled proposal.