I thought Denver was over the "tear it down" days

In the 60s-70s, even into the 80s, the mantra in Denver was "Tear it down." Who wants all those quaint, un-modern brick buildings.  We want steel-and-mirrored-glass highrises — and/or surface lots, because what doesn't better enhance a city than a bunch of surface lots?

In the 80s and 90s, preservationists actually managed to get that whole thing turned around, so that now some of those lovely classic buildings are instead being repurposed (usually quite successfully) — and any new skyscrapers — are being built on those surface lots.

Which is a long intro to the woes of the Denver Performing Arts Center, where disputes over space and budgets and the like have suddenly led to serious discussion about tearing down Boettcher Concert Hall — which strikes me as a damned shame, because it's a great space. Surely there are some solutions to all of this that don't involve demolishing a massive capital investment (and one with so many plusses).