In the debate over Raleigh's proposed Lightner Public Safety Center, not much has been said about saving and reusing the old Municipal Building. Before we bring out the wrecking ball, let's stop and think about what we're giving up.

Good contemporary architecture, always a precious resource, is often a victim of the rush to replace.

Benjamin Briggs, executive director at Preservation Greensboro, describes the challenges—and opportunities—in protecting the Gate City's recent past.

George Smart Jr.'s website, Triangle Modernist Houses, is a guide to homes by more than fifty architects, many associated with the NC State University School of Design. Development threatens many of these one-of-a-kind buildings, and now, as Smart says, is the time to act to preserve them.