A few days back a bunch of kids, until unexpectedly interrupted, were atop an abandoned downtown skyscraper at night, throwing these thick, heavy pieces of the cornice onto its skylight, hoping for a spectacular crash through to the floor 15 feet beneath it. The blocks are two feet long and made of concrete, and it took two of the guys to heave each block in the air. But the skylight didn’t break. It didn’t even buckle, as seen in the dim night light in the photo.

It’s not worth the bother to wonder why some people live by subtracting from the world rather than adding to it, or have nothing to offer but the destruction of what others offer. Vandals are boring because they’re all the same.

What’s worth noting, though, is that years ago, some workers built a skylight so well that it can withstand a devastating impact almost a century later. These old buildings downtown weren’t just made to be beautiful, they also made ‘em to last.