01:00 AM EDT on Thursday, October 7, 2004

Evan Granoff's statement that some old buildings cannot be adapted to "the way modern business is conducted" is so absurd that it needs to be addressed. ("Jerry Garcia and the future of Providence," Commentary, Oct. 5) Rhode Island has innumerable examples of old, vacant and underused buildings that have been successfully rehabilitated as economically viable commercial and residential ventures.

Creative developers take advantage of state and federal tax credits that encourage the reuse of these buildings, and in doing so, reap profits from beauty recycled, not thrown down for yet another parking lot. Communities, especially Providence, need strong ordinances that regulate development in historically sensitive areas and have the power to define what is historically and architecturally worthy of preservation. That task is too important to be left up to a handful of developers.

When a well-built, well-designed historic building is thoughtlessly demolished for nothing more than personal gain, we all lose. We lose the chance to show future generations that old doesn't mean obsolete, new isn't always better, and wisdom and vision are worth more than a pocketful of gold.

JANET K. ZWOLINSKI

Providence

The writer is executive director of Preserve Rhode Island.