Yes, I think it’s the interior we miss.

The very definition of a light court: the floors were made of opaque glass By all accounts this was the most gorgeous interior downtown, with metal filigrees as delicate as the exterior was rough.

Astonishing to look at; astonishing to consider that they pulled it down for urban renewal, even though it was structurally sound and still occupied. There was no reason to destroy it, except for the desire to start anew. Like the destruction of Penn Station, this was an unforgivable act of civic vandalism.

(Source: Hennepin Public Library.)