Stop the demolition of First Christian Church

I made the difficult decision to fire my doctor last week. It was difficult, as he is a very good doctor, but I feel this is my only option to show how profoundly disappointed I am with St. Luke's Hospital and Physicians' Clinic of Iowa's decision to tear down First Christian Church.

Architecture is not literal. When done properly, be it a cathedral or simple one-room dwelling, architecture can provide a sense of place, civic pride and spirit outside oneself that hits on the greater spirit of mankind. I wonder what it would cost to build First Christian Church today? It doesn't matter that a star architect was or was not the lead builder of First Christian Church. I feel sorry for anyone in the community who has stood in that building and not felt the presence of something larger than oneself.

But clearly, this isn't about spirit of the community or providing better health care. In my opinion, the structure they are putting up is a visual cue to where their priorities are. With destroying a humanist structure for parking to service a corporate medical mall, it's clear this is simply a numbers game. But to me, going to a doctor should not be the same experience as going to an accountant or the mall.

I ask St. Luke's and PCI to remember the physician's oath and “do no harm” to the neighborhood and the city of Cedar Rapids. Please stop the demolition of this grand building.

Vaclav Hasek

Cedar Rapids