The listing of the US embassy was the wrong decision, but still an understandable one

摘要

Our attitude to the past is a good guide to what we think about the present, hence the continuing interest in (and controversy over) which buildings do or do not get listed. And having been listed, what we then find acceptable in terms of alteration or even demolition, because it needs to be remembered that listing is about a protective cloak, not preservation for all time.