Joe Willie On The Shrimpbox: We Can't Preserve Everything

Here we go again. The headline in this morning's Brunswick News reads "Preservationists lose fight". The article is about how the community couldn't save the old Selden Park gym from being torn down. The facility which hosted some of the biggest names on what was known as the "Chittlin' Circuit" back in the 50's and 60's was torn down yesterday. Several local groups tried to save the old 1950's era gym because of what they said was an important piece of African American History in Glynn County.
I can't argue with that. The building did have some historic value. Unfortunately,
the outcries against its demolition came too late. The building had already been replaced a few years ago with a new gym. Where were the preservationists then?
Why do we always wait until the last minute to start the fight? The truth of the matter is that the old gym was past the point of no return. The cost to repair and preserve it would be too high. That's why the County Commission had originally voted to replace it with a new building. Now the commission has voted to also build a multi-use civic building on the site as well. Everything in this world has a shelf life. Sometimes we can extend that shelf life. Sometimes we can't. That's the life cycle. Trees, buildings, people...nothing lasts forever.