In each Transitions section of Preservation magazine, we highlight places of local and national importance that have recently been restored, are currently threatened, have been saved from demolition or neglect, or have been lost. Here are five from Summer 2026.

Threatened: Dallas City Hall

Last year, Dallas preservationists were alarmed to find out that the city is considering vacating its iconic City Hall building, with possible demolition on the table. Architect I.M. Pei designed the Brutalist structure, completed in 1978, with a dramatic inverted pyramid shape. In an October 2025 meeting, city officials shared that the building has problems related to water infiltration, obsolete HVAC systems, and other issues. The city held a series of meetings to explore its options, including relocating staff and redeveloping the site, or undertaking costly repairs. Local and national preservation organizations formed a Save Dallas City Hall Coalition in response.

In March 2026, a 16-hour city council meeting ended in uncertainty, as the council passed a resolution to keep weighing its options. “I voted against [the resolution] because it put primary emphasis on moving out of City Hall,” says Councilman Paul Ridley, who believes such a move would end in a loss of the building. On June 17, the council voted to use up to $2 million to explore alternative sites for city operations.

City staff are expected to bring up to four options back to the council in August. While City Hall’s fate is undecided as of press time, advocates see the vote as another step toward losing the building, which many view as irreplaceable. “It’s where people gather, where people protest,” says Zaida Basora of AIA Dallas, one of the organizations leading the Save Dallas City Hall Coalition. “I don’t think you can re-create that in the city.”

Restored: Castro Theatre

The Castro Theatre’s hand-painted ceiling resembling the interior of an ornate tent is its most distinctive feature. But for decades, layers of grime and an improper coating partly obscured this original element of the 1922 San Francisco movie palace, designed by Bay Area architect Timothy Pflueger. “In an effort to stabilize it, a coat of varnish had been applied,” says Elisa Hernández Skaggs, associate principal at Page & Turnbull, a preservation architecture firm. But rather than protecting it, “the varnish turned dark and gave the ceiling a very dark appearance.”

In early 2024, Page & Turnbull, CAW Architects, and EverGreene Architectural Arts embarked on a $41 million restoration funded by Another Planet Entertainment, which manages and operates the theater. The project included restoring the ceiling and other key features, as well as addressing persistent issues such as water intrusion, ventilation problems, and limited accessibility. Unveiled to the public in February 2026, the Spanish Colonial/Eclectic–style theater is again “a beacon of culture and activity in the neighborhood,” says Page & Turnbull Principal Carolyn Kiernat.

The Castro Theatre has long stood as a safe space for the Castro neighborhood’s queer community, hosting drag shows and an annual performance by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Following the restoration, the theater’s newly expanded programming includes live music, comedy shows, film screenings, and more. “I went to the grand opening. ... There was a lot of oohing and aahing,” says Skaggs. “It’s just stunning.”

Restored: Old Treasury Building

Completed circa 1737, the Old Treasury Building located on Annapolis, Maryland’s State Circle once stored paper currency, bills of credit, coins, and financial records securely behind its nearly two-foot-thick brick walls. “All of these items were kept in iron chests inside the building,” says Mark Schneidman, architect and senior project manager with the Maryland Department of General Services. “It really was the financial center of the state until the treasurer’s office relocated in 1903.”

In the years after, the 900-square-foot structure, which was likely built by enslaved workers, served a variety of functions for organizations including the city’s chamber of commerce, the Maryland Historical Trust, and Historic Annapolis. Now, following a $4.5 million state-funded restoration led by Schneidman and his team, the public can step inside the building for the first time in decades. Masonry, interior shutters, and original window frames were restored, while the roof and non-original windows were replaced. Unveiled in February 2026, the Old Treasury Building is now open daily for self-guided tours.

Inside, visitors will find replica furnishings, an original iron chest, and new interpretative panels that tell the story of the building, Maryland’s economy at the time—including the role of enslaved people—and more. “I’ve come across people who have walked past the building for decades, and this is their first interaction with it,” Schneidman says. “They’re really excited about the exhibits and about all the teaching moments that it offers.”

Saved: Atlanta Constitution Building

“It’s bringing affordable opportunities [for] people to live downtown,” says Mira Kaufman, a development project manager at Gorman. “And also households of different types, to create a rich, diverse neighborhood downtown.”

Restored: Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church

In 1849, a group of newly freed people—enslaved by Virginian James Twyman and then emancipated in his will—made the long journey to Burlington, Ohio. The town had been a safe haven for self-emancipated and formerly enslaved people since 1799, when Black residents first congregated there to worship and pray without a formal church structure.

With the arrival of the new group, known as the Burlington 37, the community came together to build the Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, which became a key stop on the Underground Railroad. The church continued to hold religious services and other gatherings until the 1980s. It largely sat vacant over the following years, and structural issues loomed.