As architecture publications use the end of the year as a signal to anoint the year's best designs—or, in the case of Curbed architecture critic Alexandra Lange and Mark Lamster, create a more entertaining and exhaustive list of superlatives—it's also a good time to re-examine and remember great architecture that's been lost. New designs traffic in optimism and excitement, and while you can see the fresh facade and almost smell the coat of new paint in project photos, the building's ultimate impact on the environment is still an unknown. Landmarks or great structures that are destroyed leave no such mystery; the understanding of how they fit into the community makes their destruction that much more unpleasant. We asked Docomomo, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Curbed editors to identify some of the most noteworthy preservation losses of 2015.
Filed under: