According to the National Park Service, responsible for maintaining the National Register of Historic Places, no property listed on the Register would stay on the Register if descrecrated as originally proposed for Phoenix’s historic Sun Mercantile.
That doesn’t mean creative architectural design or adaptive reuse of historic properties can’t occur. Examples exist right here in Phoenix. For example, the rehabilitation of the Phoenix Union High School Buildings at 7th Street and Van Buren blends the old with the new. City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office and Downtown Development Office staff, University of Arizona staff, and project architects have worked closely together to carefully meld historic and new. The rendering above shows the historic building on the left and new construction glass entry, elevator, stairwell, and restrooms on the right.
Downtown Voices Coalition 