American Scientist

Most large structures, such as tall buildings, massive sports stadiums and long-span bridges, eventually reach or exceed their useful life and so need to be removed, either before or after a replacement is available. In skyscraper cities like New York, where land can be scarcer than clean air, it is not uncommon for a perfectly serviceable structure of modest height to be demolished to make way for a taller one. With sports stadiums in the age of television, it is not necessarily so much the need for a larger capacity as for more amenities, such as luxury skyboxes, that can motivate the destruction of a once-hallowed venue.