[Tell It Right]

IMHO it's selective bias on what old buildings lasted. There were probably tons of Renaissance era buildings that were cheaply made and not designed to be so ornate -- we just didn't preserve those. The nice ones were preserved.

For example hundreds of years from now if someone is trying to assess how nice buildings were made in the past couple of centuries: no one will know about the modest two-story house I live in in north central Alabama because it won't be preserved. But the Arlington House, a Birmingham, Al area 1840s mansion will probably continue to be preserved and remembered and may make people think that our era was nothing but grandiose homes.

[Republican Wildcat]

Very good point.

But also - you look at protestant church buildings built, say, prior to the 1960s and they still had stained glassed windows and traditional shaped architecture. Even buildings 1980s and prior had colonial-style architecture. 1990s buildings of all types accelerated in “generic” appearance.

And like noted above, even “cheap” buildings for fast food restaurants had nicer aesthetics than the totally dull looks of today.