LOS ANGELES— "The Sixties Turn 50," a new Los Angeles Conservancy campaign that aims to preserve modern buildings built in the SoCal city in the 1960s, needs to make its case with blunt, dramatic arguments, the Los Angeles Times' architecture critic writes — no easy task when dealing with the complicated subject of Modernist architecture.

While some of the buildings were unpopular at the time of their construction, especially since many prewar buildings were wiped out to make room for them, modern buildings are now the historic ones as they near the half-century mark and begin to show their age. As a result, some developers believe it's time to tear them down to build newer, greener projects. At the same time, some preservationists hold a strong bias against Modernist structures.

There are also problems with the preservation of postwar architecture, such as the fact that many lightweight materials used at that time were particularly susceptible to damage. Yet some, like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, argue that it is more environmentally conscious to renovate an older building than to use large amounts of energy to build a new one, no matter how green the new structure would be. Others point out that postwar modern buildings, with their expanses of glass and exposed structure, are often glaringly inefficient.

The Conservancy has set up panel discussions and lectures this month to further educate the city’s residents, but it is on a tight deadline: Three postwar buildings — Century Plaza, Gerald Bense's 1961 Commonwealth Bank on Lankershim Boulevard, and Irving Shapiro's Columbia Savings on Wilshire Boulevard — are already potential targets for demolition.

Read more at the L.A. Times.