As they age, buildings tell stories about change. They may lack a mouth, tongue and vocal chords, but they speak in a kind of sign language, in hieroglyphs of structural and decorative alterations over time. A house may gain additions with the growth of successive families, or get new doors, exterior stairways, and other features when market forces dictate that it be broken up into apartments. A church with a dwindled congregation may see new windows or ornamentation as it transforms into a mosque, office, or retail store. Old factories become apartments or commercial space dictating a variety of changes. “Age plus adaptivity,” wrote Whole Earth Catalog creator Stewart Brand, “is what makes a building come to be loved.” But loved or not, change is necessary for survival.