There used to be a beautiful building here, but it was ravaged by a fire some years ago. The facade still intact, but the insides crumbled and charred, the building was boarded off and you could only catch a glimpse of it over the top of the scaffolding. For a while, if you paid attention to the local news, you would hear reports of the ongoing discussions between the developer and the municipality; the developer wanting to tear it down, the municipality trying to preserve the heritage structure (so many others like it had disappeared long ago). The conversation about the future of this building seemed locked in a stalemate, the building itself stood silent, partially obscured from passerbys, as if it being out-of-sight would result in its disappearance from our everyday concerns. And then one day, the building was gone. All that remained was a pile of rubble. Perhaps the preservation of this building was too costly for this economic clime. Whatever the reason for its demise, I was saddened by its loss. I was rooting for the building. I wanted it to remain a part of the streetscape, transformed into something new. Who knows what will take its place.