In the 1960s I used to dislike the many abandoned or dilapidated brick factories, warehouses, and other such structures that could be seen in so many New England cities of all sizes. Like other signs of the urban decay they seemed to embody, they had a depressing effect in a back-of-the-mind sort of way. If others noticed faded beauty even then, I saw only “faded.’’

A decade or two later, creative recycling has restored unsuspected charm and luster to many of these structures, and arresting windows to vanished eras have been conjured in the bargain. I feel exactly the same about the Northern Avenue Bridge (“Don’t back into a bad decision on Northern Ave. Bridge,’’ Dante Ramos, Opinion, Jan. 28).

Years ago a Globe editorial described New York’s razing of the old Penn Station as an act of “cultural barbarity,’’ of which Boston has had a few of its own. While some structures are precious old landmarks, and others are just plain old, the Northern Avenue Bridge is among the former. Its loss might not quite rise to the level of New York’s fiasco, but it would be a very bad, sad, and unnecessary mistake all the same.

James Taff

Roslindale