A historic building is one that accurately captures of the zeitgeist of the time it was first constructed, and reflects the common themes of an era. It should not be a stereotype of an era, but an accurate statement of how our culture previously lived. There should be a degree of uniqueness to the building, but it should also not be so different from other buildings of an era to mislead the passerby of how people of a time once existed.

Most buildings today or yesterday where mass-produced using the techniques of the day. Some buildings focused their labor on fine details, other focused their labor on their sheer scale or material manufacture. Even the newest buildings may be historic, if their materials are unique or they do a good job representing what an era was like in our country.

All old buildings are relics of their eras, and we should be careful before we race out and demolish them. We should ask whether or not the existing structure can be adapted for our needs, or if it's design is too incompatible with contemporary human needs in our area. We must not discount any one style of building construction or era of construction, but carefully reflect on whether a building is historic, useful, or trash.