If Spokane’s Rookery and Mohawk buildings finally tumble next month, as is looking increasingly likely, they won’t go down without leaving a valuable legacy.

Some die-hard historical preservationists still don’t concede that all is lost for the two structures, but for most people, the message from Mayor Dennis Hession on Monday seemed perfectly clear: Efforts to work out a sale and spare the 72-year-old Rookery and 91-year-old Mohawk from the owner’s demolition plans have been exhausted. The permit to tear them down, which has been in limbo during the prolonged negotiation period, has been extended one last time, setting up a probable July appointment with the wrecking ball.

But even if reality shatters the preservationists’ stubborn dreams, the community will have gained something positive from the experience – the satisfaction that this sort of thing is less likely to happen again.

By the time the public became broadly aware that the Rookery block was in danger of becoming a parking lot, owner Wendell Reugh already had a demolition permit. No amount of rallies and protests could change that. However, city officials went to work with business leaders and preservation advocates to work out a reasonable ordinance that will promote a more thoughtful process in the future.

It was a responsible move. Restoration of buildings has assumed zesty dimensions in Spokane. The dollar amounts may have declined since remodeling of the Davenport Hotel was inflating the figures, but historic-preservation projects continue to be worth $5 million or $6 million a year, according to city Historic Preservation Officer Teresa Brum.

In commemoration of the Rookery block’s fate, city code now specifies that except in limited circumstances (such as financial hardship), a property owner may not demolish a historic downtown building merely to pave it over for parking. If a venerable structure is to be knocked down, there must at least be plans to replace it with something new.

Two problems mark the saga of the Rookery block. One is the loss of three irreplaceable structures (the pre-1900 Merton Building has already been torn down in the same block) in a downtown distinguished by appealing century-old architecture. The second is the fact that the buildings will be replaced not with contemporary structures but with another expanse of asphalt.

The ordinance that was drafted and enacted in response to the Rookery controversy is not a perfect safeguard. It won’t keep sterile new edifices from supplanting cherished reminders of the past. But it’s an important improvement just the same.

What’s more, says Brum, the prolonged debate over the Rookery property has attracted the interest of out-of-town developers who specialize in historic preservation. Having visited, she says, many discovered other potential investments in Spokane.

If so, Spokane’s historical character, complemented by a robust 21st-century interest in downtown living, will add a welcome jolt of vitality to the city’s – and region’s – core.