Name:	Paul Hohamnn
City:	St. Louis, Missouri
Specific property affected:	Thomy Lafon Elementary School, 2601 Seventh Street, New Orleans, LA
Comments:	Mid Century Modern buildings such as the Lafon School are reaching age that they may be eligible for listing on the National Register. Alternatives to demolition should be explored for this building including listing on the National Register which would make the property available for historic tax credits to help offset the cost of renovation. For too long Federal policies have encouraged wasteful destruction of existing infrastructure in our cities and built environment and encouraged sprawl through highway spending and other policies. The Fed needs to encourage sustainable re-use of building such as Lafon either as continued use as a school or as an alternative use. Mid Century architecture should be appreciated as much as older styles. In the 1950's though the 60's, Victorian architecture and other styled buildings were regularly demolished because they were unwisely considered "obsolete". We need to learn from these mistakes of the past and not repeat them today.