I am still in shock. When I heard the news that the city of Provo is going to tear down the Brigham Young Academy Building and sell the property to the highest bidder, I could not believe it. Of course, it didn't surprise me that city leaders would try to do it; I just didn't expect they could actually get away with it.
Will the residents of Provo let their city leaders tear down one of their only remaining landmarks to put up another apartment complex?Brigham Young Academy put Provo on the map. It is the ancestor of Brigham Young University, the institution which has made that city. Provo was once a charming little college town. Unfortunately, its unchecked growth in the past 15 years has allowed it to become a sea of apartment complexes and shopping malls. Provo's leaders have allowed greed for tax revenues, developers' fees and other cash that "progress" generates to ignore the problems that go with it.
I realize it costs a lot to restore an old building. The Joseph Smith Memorial Building and the City and County Building were expensive to restore. But look at the end product. They are both magnificent structures Salt Lake City can be proud of.
The LDS Church offered to restore the Brigham Young Academy building. It has already proved it is able to complete the task and would give Provoans a building of which they could be proud. Why didn't Provo accept the offer? I suspect it is because if the city allows the LDS Church to have the property it will be tax-exempt.
If there is any way to stop the destruction of this building, I hope it can be done. Tearing down the Brigham Young Academy will be tearing out a page of Utah, Provo, educational and LDS history. And once destroyed, it can never be replaced.
Lenore Lillywhite
Murray