The famous (and famously controversial) Les Halles shopping centre in Paris this week reopens its doors after a grand €1bn makeover thanks to a new canopy which Olly Wainright has called a “custard-coloured flop”. The makeover was designed to improve the image of the widely disliked 1970s building. But the project may not have been needed at all had the original structure – a complex of wrought-iron and glass pavilions designed by Victor Baltard – been retained.
This, of course, is not the only instance of buildings being pulled down in the quest for modernisation, only for many to regret the demolition and mourn the loss of built heritage after. Conservation bodies around the world fight hard to protect well-loved historic architecture, but they are not always successful – and a huge number of buildings and structures in cities around the world were demolished before the idea of conservation really caught on.
While much old architecture does need to give way to structures that better serve the needs of evolving populations, mistakes are sometimes made. Which building or city structure do you think it was a mistake to tear down? What piece of architectural heritage do you wish could have been preserved rather than destroyed? Do you miss a structure that was replaced by something much worse? Share your own photos, memories and stories with GuardianWitness and we’ll feature a selection on Guardian Cities.
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