"Cities need old buildings so badly it is probably impossible for vigorous streets and districts to grow without them."

Preserve Lexington is committed to preserving downtown Lexington's historic fabric, voicing the interests of diverse groups and cultures, and promoting quality infill and design.

• Established businesses in the downtown core draw people to the city center and provide services that are valuable and much needed in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. These businesses contribute to Lexington’s increasingly vibrant downtown. By adaptively reusing these historic buildings and promoting historic preservation, Lexington’s own unique architectural character is preserved.
• Recently, there has been discussion about the construction of a hotel downtown; and concerns arose about the possible demolition of historic buildings and the displacement of the vital businesses they house.
• Infill development – which encourages rebuilding of urban density while respecting existing buildings – the vacant lots left by the Woolworth Building and the Graves Cox building could serve new development while maintaining existing historic fabric.
• If these historic buildings are demolished, the character of the city would be permanently changed and a vital section of Lexington’s retail history lost forever.