Old Made New

Was reading today's newspaper and I noticed an article on the front page commenting on renovation Pre-war buildings (not the picture above. that's just some random building to build the mood) into new swanky clubs, art institutes, etc. While I agree that we should be doing something to keep these buildings preserved, I don't think that they should be totally transformed beyond the point of recognition.
Why can't we leave these buildings in peace! Colonial architecture is really beautiful. The little designs that decorates overhangs, the pillars, the archways. And places like Clifford Pier. The gigantic open space of the main foyer and the little details that gave it charm combined with the practicality of the pier. I'm glad that at least the Fullerton building retained it's frontage and was put to use in an innovative way. It would be a real tragedy if they had torn it down and built some uber neo-modern stylised million-dollar monument to some young punk of an architect. But I think that in doing what they did, they really set themselves apart and did the new-in-the-old thing pretty well. Kudos to the management.
I'm not saying of course that we shouldn't come up with our own styles and new trends in architecture. Just that it shouldn't be at the expense of the beautiful buildings of the past. But I really do find that sometimes these new concepts can be rather an eye-sore. For example, I saw another article recently featuring plans for a new combination condo. Combination in the sense that the front facade of the condo would be this restored colonial building, where all the condo facilities and the club house will be, with a new-age residential building behind it. Frankly... UGLY LAH!! Looked terrible. It was like a Frankenstein building. Or like some tai tai that had a boob job and a full body augmentation but the face lift from hell.
I feel that Singapore has always been obsessed with renovation, change, renewal and upgrading. We're forever building over and tearing down our past and building newer and bigger monstrosities. My only respite is that these Pre-war buildings have maintained their old charm but just been repaired to make them safe for occupation.
To me, that's the reason why so many Singaporeans don't really feel that strong a sense of patriotism to the land. I mean how many places can you look and say "This place hasn't changed since I was a kid" and reminisce about all the good times that you spent there as a child. Even in my short 20 year life, I've seen so many of the places that I used to go as a kid change. The shoe house playground in Serangoon North is now a "fitness corner", the playground at my old home in Hougang, Gardens would be unrecognisable to someone that hasn't been there for a few years and the houses around me are getting knocked down in favour of large multi-storey houses that look way too big for the land area.
It's kinda sad really. That you can't keep your childhood homes intact the way that you remember. But sometimes it really can't be helped. Singapore has that problem of limited land area. We have no where to grow outwards so we had to grow up and over the past. It's something that's unavoidable given the lack of space. I just hope that the history and legacy of Singapore's past isn't forsaken.