In a May 5 opinion column about Denver City Council’s unanimous decision to make 1741 Gaylord St. a local landmark, opinion editor Megan Schrader concluded, “Tear down this old house — worth at least $1.5 million — and build many apartments or condos for working Coloradans to work downtown, play at City Park and live in a community that is increasingly full of condos and apartments.”

The statement implies that, without tearing down the 121-year-old building, and potentially others like it, Coloradans will be denied the vibrant, walkable life we aspire to. The piece’s all-or-nothing angle suggesting historic preservation goals are at odds with affordable housing goals pits Denverites against one another and discourages consensus. It’s also just plain wrong.

The house at 1741 Gaylord St. was one of about 700 Denver buildings slated for demolition in 2022. All the others went down without formal objection. But the community, Historic Denver and, ultimately, Denver City Council, drew the line with this house.

Its well-documented historic credits notwithstanding, here’s what Schrader and others overlook about the value of places like 1741 Gaylord St.

Existing Denver buildings have always offered the means to deliver on affordability — whether through continuing the supply of naturally occurring affordable housing, conversion of larger structures to multiple units, facilitating the growing community of housing cooperatives, or sharing a lot with new development.

Housing density in Denver’s historic districts is more than twice that of the rest of Denver, according to city data. Look no further than Capitol Hill to find one of Denver’s most historic and most affordable neighborhoods, with countless subdivided mansions. At Loretto Heights, Pancratia Hall is a shining example of new, affordable housing in a historic building; in South Park Hill, the former dorms on the century-old Mosaic Campus will soon offer the same.

Central Denver is indeed densifying, and that is a good thing. There is a slew of large apartment buildings in progress, required to provide 8-10% of units at affordable rates per new city policy. And amongst them sit existing buildings. Whether large or small, grand or discreet, brick or stucco, existing buildings tell the stories of our diverse communities, provide our neighborhoods with an anchor to the past, and deliver flashes of joy and excitement in a built environment that could otherwise become monotonous. Indeed, the contrast between new and mature buildings can be exhilarating, with one accentuating the qualities of the other.

Existing buildings shouldn’t be seen as constraints, but as opportunities to enrich new developments. Examples are all over Denver, such as the Chittenden Mansion at 51 W. Fourth Ave., now integrated within the Watermark Apartments, and the Mullen Mansion at 860 N. Emerson St., also surrounded by new apartments. The building at 1741 Gaylord St. can bring an element of surprise and delight amid its contemporary surroundings, while delivering housing through adaptive reuse or the development of unused portions of its large lot.

Pitting preservation against new housing is a false choice. We can have both. We can have progress while respecting and retaining the key places that tell the stories of generations of Denverites of all backgrounds. Preservation must go hand in hand with growth and development if we want a city that’s diverse, dynamic and distinctive.

Jane Jacobs wrote in her seminal book, The Death and Life of the Great American City, “Dull, inert cities, it is true, do contain the seeds of their own destruction and little else. But lively, diverse, intense cities contain the seeds of their own regeneration, with energy enough to carry over for problems and needs outside themselves.”

Examples from Paris to Pittsburgh illustrate that respecting existing buildings and equipping them for the modern world through adaptive reuse are hallmarks of the lively, diverse, and intense cities Jacobs describes. I’m excited about Denver’s future, and the historic buildings citywide that have the potential to deliver affordable housing and enrich our neighborhoods and our lives.

John Deffenbaugh is the president and CEO of Historic Denver, Inc.

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