Gizmo, that is one of the most upsetting things I see around my city! It is a travesty. I am always so saddened when I see this.

Yep, right next door to us. Although we have a good new neighbor.

But just looking at some of these older home Instagram accounts, this happens a lot.

Add insult to injury, the McMansion ‘cottages’ are barely occupird even during the high season.

A flipper did this to a house on my street. Our original houses were nothing fancy but this guy tried to turn a little colonial into something flashy and modern. However, he went cheap and used many Ikea items for cabinets, etc. He removed the wood banister and replaced it with steel cables. It was on the market for two years, way overpriced, and finally some naive young couple bought it.

It's everywhere here.

To be fair, because of updated codes, many of those cool older homes are cheaper for builders to replace, and the new construction towers over the more modest homes and have just about zero yard space. Most are McMansions.

I just split a $2,000.00 design fee with my girlfriend. They showed up Friday with their soulless gray wall paint sample and swatches of gray and white fabrics. I damn near puked.

So sad, so true.

Whatever happened to beige?

At least the prevalence of gray gives (me) the illusion of foggy days, which I love... ha!

The OP is SO disturbing to me -- it is sad that in this country there is no real appreciation of older, interesting and perhaps historic houses, instead it all seems to be the McMansion horrors.

Case in point: my own childhood home was built in 1820, more elegant than common farmhouse with walk-up full attic, two side porches, large rooms (12), floor-to-ceiling windows (6 over 6) upstairs and down, wide and random width floor boards, back staircase, full unfinished-but-usable cellar, long 4-bay ell with summer kitchen and finished bedroom above that. Original ice house. Lovely mature trees.

Last year, it was demolished. A huge ugly horror of architectural mash-up was then built , trees removed (some were over 75 years old) including a healthy American elm that was around 125 years old or older. I am having a difficult time still, thinking about this...

Sorry -- thanks for letting me vent.

I agree with Roxanna7. People should be more concerned about the bigger picture of historic properties being demolished by developers because it’s cheaper to tear them down. Go online & see pics of the original Penn Station being demolished in New York City in 60s. It’s a crime

Roxanna, what a terrible architectural loss! Sadly, people do not learn about architecture from their parents, or school, so their tastes are shaped by the market and not knowledge.

It’s what we do in the US of A. Bigger and newer and shinier are synonymous with better. It’s a lack of appreciation for craftsmanship and history that informs not only our architecture but our style of living. 😞

This is EXACTLY the issue my oldest daughter is living in Mpls. Word is most of these grayed out properties will end up rentals--or that's who she is losing bids to anyway. It would at least be something if they knew how to paint. They do such a crap job for the most part.

Locally there have been several iconic family owned restaurants including some that have been featured on national tv shows that have just recently closed because the land is too valuable and in many cases also the owners want to retire and no one in the family wants to take over. Apartments and condos will go in, of course.

Not just a USA thing. I understand the culture in Japan is to always build new homes, and practically nothing is upgraded or renovated.

@Zalco/bring back Sophie! "Sadly, people do not learn about architecture from their parents, or school." My dad was a machinist for the copper mines and my mom was a business admin. What would they know about architecture such that they'd motivate me to preserve it? School field trips to historical Phoenix locations were fun but much of Phoenix was renovated, and built, after WW2. We have some 1930s bungalows and a few Victorians but overall it's comprised of Boomer boom housing. Nothing significant there except brick ranchers.

Jen K, in my experience people who work with their hands have a strong appreciation for craft, design and proportion. I don't believe a blue collar job renders one insensible in matters of taste.

I agree with Zalco. I grew up in a middle class family and my grandparents had been poor immigrants. But both my parents had a love of community and a love of history, including family history but also the history of their respective towns. Also, when I was in school, at all levels, I learned the history of my state and town, from a cultural as well as "event" perspective. In 10th grade we had a tour though the architectural history of the US, with examples from our town, and we learned how to research the history of a building. I had to do a report on the building of my choice from our town. Since I grew up with people who lived in and loved older homes and antiques, I participated in historical home tours as a volunteer and helped my Mom fix and restore antiques, although it was nothing complicated, that we used to be able to send to craftspeople who were still around, furnishing refinishers, caners, fine carpenters . . . such skills are few and far between these days. Even the basics with respect for not wasting the materials because they are valuable.

I would hardly say that not respecting the resources, time and skill that went into past crafting and building, is not a class thing at all. Some of the wealthiest people with money to burn are constantly redoing their homes, which often baffles me, if it ain't broke why fix it? On the flip side, I've visited 300 year old homes in Europe that still are in good working order. And new forms can be created that are harmonious with older sensibilities. I find that cookie cutter architecture of the "tear it down and start over" school is actually the lower bar for creativity.

And my town is nothing special at all, and in fact, is growing less special by the month, year and decade.

@Zalco/bring back Sophie! Well, you assigned my dad as a blue-collar worker, not me, so you seem to be more focused on class than me which I never mentioned or referred to. Talking in terms of 'collar' reflects on your generation; my generation doesn't refer to workers that way. But because my parents worked 90 hours a week and had to raise a family of 5 on $50k the discussion of architecture and home design was not on their list of to-dos. Society will not fall today due to their inability to share that topical education.

And since America's history predates the European stick-built homes that you all are so enamored with, what are you doing to help preserve indigenous and native structures? They're as important as curly-cue Victorians and robust Arts and Crafts of yore.

Home preservation - sounds fine. But considering that it's primarily an activity of the white community how is it worthwhile? Is a city's history demolished when its old homes are not standing anymore? Considering that the Black, Hispanic, or immigrant community would not have resided in these homes, is that the only history worth preserving? Are the 'a shotgun-style row house with clean-cut clapboard siding that makes the whole street smell of pine" of Orange Mound in Memphis TN worth preserving?

Are you equally concerned with affordable housing and homelessness? Home heritage and preservation is the interest of people of means (ahem - white people) and it's not a problem that requires solving.

Nice to meet you, @Jen K.

You must have a limited circle of friends and experience Jen, to stereotype so rigidly. And there's a whole other topic to be written about how historic neighborhoods for people of color were also destroyed by the rush to tear down and always build new.

Edited to add that as a person in the salary range you describe, with tons of friends in that category, if it can be called a category, I resent that you think hard working low income people or people of color shouldn't be interested in history, design, craft or architecture. And I'm baffled that you think people can't walk and chew gum at the same time, i.e. care about and actually work on homelessness and poverty and also care about history, architecture and design. And also wondering if you're so concerned about these issues, why you are not out working for the poor rather than noodling around on a home decorating chat forum.