A new endangered species: Modern architecture

Perception and renovation problems

Advocates of Modern architecture say such buildings must wrestle with the public's perception of what deserves preservation.

"We're so ingrained in the idea that Victorian is 'historic,' " Ms. Brierton says. "It's very hard to move people away from that era and convince them that ... you move forward and apply those same principles to midcentury."

But the actual threat to Modern architecture stems mostly from real-world concerns. "These buildings are not necessarily energy efficient," Hylton admits, making them costly to maintain and, subsequently, even more costly to retrofit with green technology.

Mr. Semmes says that the MLK library's black steel and glass turn it into "a giant pressure cooker" in the summer, destroying rare documents and photographs and making it uncomfortable for patrons and staff.

Many Modern buildings were designed for a specific purpose – Modern architects value function over form – making renovation for another use even more expensive. The Office of the Chief Financial Officer in Washington, D.C., estimates that the cost to renovate the MLK library would be $274.9 million, while building a new library would cost $274.5 million.

Modern buildings face "the same kinds of pressure that are on all buildings that sit on valuable land," says Anthony Alofsin, an architectural historian at the University of Texas at Austin.

Preservation criteria

The US Department of the Interior (DOI) requires that any building up for historic landmark status must be at least 50 years old. There is a special nomination process for buildings that are younger, but the standards are higher. A building not only has to meet at least one of the DOI's four criteria for historic landmark status – location of a historic event, association with a historically important person, architectural significance, or the potential to provide historical information – but also must be of "exceptional importance."

Beyond being the only Mies building in Washington, there are other reasons to consider saving the MLK library, says Rebecca Miller, executive director of the D.C. Preservation League. Its central location makes it an ideal spot for a library, she says, and it works well with the rest of the area's streetscape. Still, its being a "very good Mies building" is a good enough reason to fight, Ms. Miller says.

If historic landmark status is granted, it is unclear whether the library will continue to function as a library. Ms. Cooper of the D.C. public library system says that much of the space is underutilized, since the library's needs have changed since the 1960s. The building could be converted into office space, Cooper says, adding that she's even had informal conversations with Smithsonian representatives about the possibility of turning it into a museum.

Semmes says that he would like to see a new library built. "I understand the need for preserving works by certain architects, but sometimes I'm afraid [the preservationists] don't see the overall plan of Mies van der Rohe that ... things can change."

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