Let City Hall go
Re: “A tale of another city hall — What can Dallas learn from Boston’s commitment to its own, decades-old architecturally significant building?” by Emanuel Rame, Sunday Opinion.
As a graduate of architecture and 35-year project manager evaluating space for tenants, I often advocate saving an iconic building. Regarding Dallas’ City Hall, why repair it at overwhelming cost only to have its maintenance neglected? That’s only delaying the inevitable at massive cost.
Dallas’ record of deferred maintenance is unlikely to change. Sell it and get whatever is possible, then spend the money on fitting up functional leased space that a landlord maintains.
Further, nowhere in all of the discussions and opinions has the issue of temporary space during repairs, moves, etc., been addressed. That’s a huge cost, too. Just plan for new space, and the money will go further than spending it on a poorly designed building that will be more costly to repair and maintain than a non-iconic building that functions well for city offices, council chambers, etc.
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Although Dallas’ City Hall is better looking than Boston’s, it has serious design flaws and deferred maintenance that will probably cause problems again in the future. There is also a lot of wasted space in the building for the massive atrium. I would never recommend a building with that much unusable space. Let it go.
Marsha Hayes Walker, Grand Prairie
Build but maintain, Dallas
I saw a quote from acclaimed independent filmmaker Werner Herzog that made me think of the current controversy over the fate of Dallas City Hall. It reads, in part: “Whether something lasts or not has nothing to do with whether it’s made of stone or steel or wood or fabric. A house built all in wood can be a monument that lasts for hundreds of years because it seduces people to live in it, to use it and maintain it. Eternity depends on whether people are willing to take care of something … no building can be neglected entirely.”
And that’s where we are with many iconic structures in Dallas (Fair Park, anyone?). This I.M. Pei-designed building that Dallas is so fortunate to have must stand as part of Dallas history, just as the Old Red Courthouse has and Reunion Tower, to name just a few. (Is Dallas even Dallas without Reunion Tower as part of the skyline?)
Build beautiful and unique, but above all maintain. Other places do it, for centuries and millennia in many cases, yet it seems Dallas wants the new and shiny every 40-50 years.
Borrowing an opinion from the great film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, “thumbs down” on that.
Sara Miskimins, Dallas/Lake Highlands
AG spends wastefully
Re: “Paxton sues Islamic center — Filing becomes latest effort by state to stop Muslim-centric project,” Sunday Metro story.
This guy just can’t stop himself from filing frivolous lawsuits and wasting large sums of money. Money that you and I pay in taxes. If you want to look at wasteful spending, look no further than the attorney general’s office.
Myriad possibilities exist for a better use of the attorney general’s office than what this partisan politician can dream up. Can we please open our eyes to the obvious and finally get rid of him, or are we completely blinded by our political leanings?
Erol C. Orer, Dallas
Wild in Dallas, too
Re: “A little bit of Texas frightens me — On a friend’s ranch, I learned you have so many reasons to wear boots,” by Christopher de Vinck, Saturday Opinion.
I really enjoyed de Vinck’s column about the wildlife in Texas. As a Dallas native, I can relate having spent 10 years in South Texas. It seems everything either poked, bit, stung or stabbed me in the beautiful wilds of Texas.
Interestingly, I now have coyotes and bobcats in my yard in East Dallas. What’s next, a javelina?
Nancy Turner, Dallas
New Jersey has critters
De Vinck’s fine column understated New Jersey’s natural hazards. The Garden State has plenty of venomous snakes including rattlers and copperheads, plus bobcats, and one native cactus, the prickly pear. Maybe no javelinas or chiggers, but plenty of ticks, black widows and other mean little critters — and rip tides.
Also, like Texas, New Jersey still has some beautiful rural scenery and even some night skies free of light pollution.
Peter Haskel, Lewes, Del.
Get behind Talarico
All the other Democrats should get out of the race, like we did with Beto O’Rourke, watch the Republicans fight it out in the primary and let James Talarico run against the Trump Republicans. Talarico is a proven winner, and if Colin Allred and O’Rourke couldn’t beat Ted Cruz, you know the rest of the story.
Andrew Goldsmith, Irving
A job or an education?
Re: “What are they teaching?” by Rick Williams, Thursday Letters.
Williams writes that in undergraduate and graduate classes he took “math, chemistry, English, accounting and finance.” Hopefully he also took courses in philosophy, ethics, world history and fine arts as well.
Otherwise, although Texas A&M and the University of Texas gave him a meal ticket, they did not give him an education.
Holmes Brannon, Plano
Put blame where it belongs
Our president has stated that immigration is the leading cause of dysfunction in our country. I must disagree. A political policy of hatred, scorn, revenge and ignorance is the leading cause of dysfunction in our country. One must look no further than the Oval Office.
Jan Schroeder, Lucas
Wake up on age limits
The Democrats had Sleepy Joe and the Republicans have, among other things, Dozing Donald. Any thoughts for age limits for public office?
T.P. O’Mahoney, Dallas
