Oddly enough, in a city filled with many significant buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, representative of a rich maritime history, one of the most iconic structures in New London recalls an agricultural tradition.

The big red Michael's Dairy barn on Montauk Avenue, owned since 2006 by Mitchell College, is much beloved, in part for its continuing service as the symbol of a popular ice cream business that has been a city institution for decades.

Indeed, when Mitchell College hosted a $150-a-head fundraiser in the spring to raise money for a restoration of the barn, to make it into a gathering space for school, theater and community functions, there was a robust turnout.

But since that April fundraiser, the college has made it known that plans have changed, and the restoration has morphed into a project to demolish and replace the barn.

A large notice of the college's application to the city for a demolition permit has been posted on the peeling siding of the barn, and notice letters have gone out to adjoining property owners.

The city's Historic District Commission, which has the authority to impose a stay on any demolition, to give preservationists time to step in, is expected to take up the demolition application next month.

A spokesman for New London Landmarks, which is in the midst of a campaign to save two Bank Street buildings from demolition, said Thursday the demolition plans for the barn still are being reviewed, and the organization has not taken a stand on the issue.

Landmarks Executive Director Laura Natusch said in a statement the organization respects the college's intent to preserve the historic character of the barn and willingness to share information about the project.

I am generally suspicious of demolition plans of significant buildings, especially when the excuse is that they simply can't be saved. That's a retort lobbed at preservationists when demolition becomes the most expedient course for new development. I believe many buildings torn down under the banner of "too far gone" could have been saved.

After hearing out the lead architect for this project, Chad Floyd, a principal of Centerbrook Architects, I was convinced, though, that there does indeed seem to be no clear route to saving and restoring the Michael's Dairy barn.

Floyd also is persuasive that the replacement barn will be so faithful to the original that most people won't be able to tell the difference.

He likened the plans to demolish and replace the Michael's barn to the Ocean House in Watch Hill, also a Centerbrook project, which was replicated when engineers decided the original building, constructed on sand and compromised by the loss of interior support trusses over the years, could not be saved.

He also suggests the new Michael's building will be more representative of the original 19th-century barn because it will replicate the wooden post-and-beam construction that was compromised when the barn was remodeled with an interior steel structure some time ago.

The other significant obstacle to restoration, Floyd said, is that the barn does not have a foundation and is essentially built on stone rubble. There's no easy way to install the new foundation that would be required to meet modern building codes. And because it is in a high-wind zone, those requirements are especially rigorous when it comes to tying the structure to the foundation, he said.

This situation would preclude, for instance, replacing the rotten siding, because even that much work would cost enough to trigger the more stringent building requirements.

Floyd suggested that the structural problems preventing a restoration, like the unoriginal steel structure inside, predate the college's ownership of the buildings.

Sadly, though, the building has clearly been allowed to significantly deteriorate on the college's watch, going back to 2006, given the peeling paint and large sections of the roof left in disrepair. It is hard to imagine that the barn was rotten beyond repair when the college bought it more than a decade ago.

Had it been maintained, the choice today might be replacement or at least leaving it be, an old barn, while a new building is built elsewhere.

Floyd said he had to work hard to convince Mitchell College President Janet L. Steinmayer that there was no way to renovate the existing barn building because she felt so strongly about saving it.

"It is really impossible to restore this building," he said. "We tried very hard to do it."

It's encouraging to know that these demolition plans are being scrutinized, and that preservationists will have a chance to weigh in when the historic commission meets to decide whether to delay things.

It is also significantly different than the challenged request to demolish two Bank Street buildings, a situation where there were no specific plans presented for what was being proposed as an alternative.

The city needs more preservation protections, especially in the historic districts, but at least the existing rules are being flexed, as new development pressures in the city come to bear.

This is the opinion of David Collins.

d.collins@theday.com