Why would you assume I’d call for a government intervention? I had in mind no such thing. I simply think that institutions and individuals who are fortunate enough to own art need to be responsible to the public with regard to its preservation. And when they aren’t, I think everyone from experts to the public — and preservation leagues — should raise a ruckus in order to encourage them to do the right thing.

For example: What efforts has the church made to use the site and structure to generate revenue that could go toward preservation or interior modifications they might want? Do they allow the church and plaza to be rented out for events/weddings/etc.? I work a block away and never see that space in use. We’re talking about a huge site two blocks from the White House — and in a part of town that is very quiet on the weekend. This is precisely what other churches have done (Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois comes to mind — another poured concrete structure) to maintain their property for all to enjoy.

I agree that selling the building is another option. But I’ve read nothing to suggest that the church has attempted to sell the structure. There’s no “for sale” sign out front.

— Lynne Munson is former deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities and author of Exhibitionism: Art in An Era of Intolerance.