InformedOne, You're right on, that's the problem is that historic preservation is not seen as a profession or as an area of urban planning. In fact preservation is large part defined as urban planning but so much of it is seen on the micro-leve…

b - this should shed some light on the issue. Character defining features are utilized by the National Park Service as a standard definition, at some point there has to be an arbitor. http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/tax/rhb/guide.htm

The Richardson towers are intact and are character defining features of the building. The spires are not extant and are compatible with the historic building, there is a set of guidelines, the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitati…

bhorvath, the spires no longer exist so nothing is being removed and replaced, the domes would be constructed where the spires were once located.