The article argues that Dallas City Hall, a key moment in the evolution of its urban core, should be stewarded rather than torn down. The author points out that the city has deferred maintenance on the building for decades, with routine capital reinvestment often postponed in favor of other pressing priorities. The article critic Mark Lamster criticizes the city's handling of the building's future and suggests that it is likely an inflated cost estimate or the narrative of a building in structural crisis. It argues that the maintenance backlog did not appear overnight but accumulated gradually through years of underinvestment and myopic initiatives. The cost estimates suggest that City Hall requires roughly $1 billion to repair, maintain and operate, including $329 million for repairs alone, and that the repair estimate itself includes aggressive contingencies and escalation assumptions that significantly expand the projected overall cost. Lamster also highlights concerns about the city’s cost estimates, which have been suggested by independent architects that appear to be inflated and biased. The city operates under a council/manager form of governance, where 14 district-based council members and a mayor with limited authority set policy, while professional staff manage operations, can make citywide agreement difficult.