A lot of us speak up when we have a viewpoint but usually no one listens. Hilde Weisert, however, just spoke up in a Letter to the Editor of The New York Times and the editors' read it, admired and published it. We're proud of Hilde. She wrote:

New York Times, Oct 23, 2025

To the Editor:

When our building - erected in 1839 as a Baptist church, then in the early 20th century becoming a synagogue, then for the last 30 years serving as an arts center, and since 2006 on the National Register of Historic Places - needed to add a small storage shed this year, it required approval of the Massachusetts Historical Commission. We submitted detailed plans showing no changes affecting the historical elements of the building, and, after a careful review, received the commission's approval.

How is it possible that one of the most beloved, historic buildings in our country can have a demolition crew tearing down walls in preparation for a 90,000-square-foot ballroom that will greatly change the shape and size of the White House, without any formal review by a historical or architectural body?

That the addition is the vision of someone whose taste for grandiosity has already sullied the dignity of the Oval Office is even more alarming.

Hilde Weisert
Sandisfield, Mass.

The writer is a co-president of the Sandisfield Arts Center.