With all the hell and horror going on, it’s sad that a small group, Greater Portland Landmarks, is fighting to save a rather ordinary Greek Revival style building on Free Street in Portland.

This style of building is frequently seen in public buildings and private homes. The goal is to prevent the Portland Museum of Art from building a much-needed expansion to accommodate its growing collection and better serve the public.

The museum expansion will use cross-laminated timber, a type of construction that features the beauty of natural wood (we live in a forested state, after all) and, simultaneously, provides substantial environmental advantages, including carbon sequestration and the near total elimination of concrete and steel, which are major polluters.

This obstruction by Greater Portland Landmarks is a classic example of the reality summed up in a recent New York Times opinion headline: “Preservation has become the enemy of evolution.”

Kilt Andrew
Falmouth