renovation. Anyone who walked through either of the two "shopping malls" on that site would tell you they were ghost towns. They needed a lot more than new lighting and a fresh coat of paint. Their configuration had proven to be non-viable. The prior owners had essentially given up and it showed.

The office space was probably a little better off. I have no idea what it was like. Commercial real estate generally needs extensive renovation after 30 years, which is coincidentally about the age of the Key Bank building. I'm sure the Key Bank building was structurally sound and could have served admirably for many more years. My point has nothing to do with the pros and cons of specific decisions made within the project. I'm sure there were many decisions to preserve/rebuild that could have gone either way.

The point is that there is no way it was the billion-dollar financial burden that its detractors make of it. I'm guessing it was a breakeven project for the Church. Whatever the case, they accomplished their purpose. They'll have much better neighbors for the foreseeable future.