So many homes, especially mid-century modern residences are in danger of being lost forever. While, museums will quickly rush to purchase new pieces of artwork to add to their collections, architecture is not typically considered artwork in this regard.
However, Michael Govan (the director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art) has started to look into acquiring architecture in order to add to the museum's collection. By purchasing (or acquiring by donation), architectural icons can be preserved and maintained, just as one would preserve a Picasso or Renoir. To read more about Govan's ideas, check out Edward Lifson's site. Hopefully, the LACMA will be the beginning of a new trend in museum policies, in which we protect our architecture as much as traditional forms of art.