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Online Exclusive: Why Building Restoration May Be Better Than Raze-and-Rebuild

Older buildings with historical and environmental significance are increasingly dodging the wrecker's ball and finding new lives.

By Eric Peterson | Updated on August 11, 2008

In the past, as often as not, the tendency has been to tear down old buildings and replace them with new ones. The whole redevelopment and re-use genre has, of course, taken on new meaning in land-challenged New Jersey, and with it has come new interest in taking older buildings in need of significant repair and restoring and reusing them. That includes everything from commercial buildings to residential properties to schools.

One proponent of that movement is Michael Sackler, an architect with Ives, Schier & Lesser Architecture Studio in Fair Lawn. While structures with historic significance continue to be among the most popular candidates for preservation, IS&L is seeing a stepped-up number of restoration efforts prompted by environmental consciousness.

“People have always been interested in preserving existing buildings, especially when the property has some type of significance in the community,” Sackler says. “More recently, the conservational benefits of reusing older structures have become a major focus. In short, reuse is one of the best things you can do to preserve resources, and building modernization also frequently allows the incorporation of energy-efficient elements. In addition, depending on the level of the rehabilitation, repairs can be far less costly than rebuilding.”

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