Stop the demolition

Lawyer Greg Kite says the local Historic Preservation Alliance isn’t giving up on stopping demolition of the downtown Fidelity Title building. His group recently made a $160,000 offer on the building to the Wichita Bar Association (double what the bar paid for it), but he says the bar board rejected the offer.
Now some other lawyers are coming forward to oppose the demolition. In a letter to The Eagle in Friday’s paper, Roberta R. Johnson said she’ll resign from the bar association over the demolition.
And Kite’s group has posted on its Web site the Court of Appeals opinion it lost. Kite challenges people to read the facts and make up their own minds.
I hope these efforts succeed. No, not all downtown buildings are worth saving (I want to write more on the trade-offs in a future editorial), but Fidelity Title is a gem that adds interest and character. The same can’t be said for the law center next door that threatens its existence.
Posted by Randy Scholfield