Dear Editor: I would like to propose creating a discipline called transformative architecture. The purpose would be to alleviate the ugliness of buildings that would be too expensive and inefficient to tear down and replace.

Our beautiful downtown Capitol is surrounded by some graceful and charming older buildings and some barely tolerable examples of modern architecture. But get beyond the Square, and there are some truly horrible examples of blandness and ugliness. We seem to assume that there isn't anything that can be done, but that doesn't have to be true.

Of course we need a new library and a revitalized Edgewater with public amenities. But this should not preclude the possibility of improving Madison's uglier buildings. It could be financed with modest help from architects, developers, and construction companies, with only a little help from the tax budget.

It would be a worthwhile project. And it would put Madison on the map. We could show other cities what could be done.

Of course there are architects who could improve on my suggestions. I'm just trying to start the ball rolling.

John Morgan

Madison