People watch a house being demolished in Wenling cityk, Zhejiang province, after its owner reached an agreement with the local government. [Photo provided to China Daily]

It is a lamentable loss for Shanghai that a protected historic building, although sold to an eligible buyer, has been lost. Its historical value aside, the old building, which was built in the 1930s, was under municipal protection and thus only internal renovation was permitted, according to relevant laws.

In Shanghai's case, the property buyer was well informed of why the building was not to be torn down and promised to abide by the laws two years ago. The demolition went beyond the agreed internal renovation and crossed the line from exercising to abusing the ownership rights to the property.

During the several months of demolition, local urban patrol officers intervened to halt the destruction more than once, by reporting it to the police and negotiating with the new owner. Yet their justifiable efforts did not stop the building from being destroyed.

That leads to a number of questions that remain unanswered but should have been addressed years ago: are the local protection authorities fully aware of all the buildings they are responsible for protecting and the procedures for doing so? Have those involved in unauthorized renovations been held accountable?

Historic buildings are a valuable legacy. The transfer of ownership via the real estate market does not mean the deep-pocketed buyers can do whatever they want to the protected buildings.