Preserving Historic Buildings for Use as T-Shirt Shops, or as Part of a St. Augustine National Historical Park Under NPS Jurisdiction??

Is there more to preservation than preserving local buildings for t-shirt shops? (Local businessmen Wednesday reportedly prevailed on a paid, "blue ribbon" historic advisory panel to recommend no changes to the use of state-owned buildings mismanaged by the City of St. Augustine, making it hard to see the point of going through the exercise).

Instead of a $4 million new NPS visitor center, why not a visitor venter in a resotred buildihng, as in the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park (see my letter in the November 16, 2006 St. Augusitne Record, below).