Alker was using the only night elevator in this outmoded building, so Harry hurried down the stairs.

But Mr. O'Neill said his firm, which specializes in the reuse of outmoded commercial buildings, simply could not find a way to renovate this structure.

Some university and Government officials say that if indirect cost rates are restrained, universities will have to raise tuitions or forgo needed improvements on already outmoded buildings and equipment.

Losing patients at a rate faster than any hospital in the system, it also has one of the most outmoded buildings.

St. Vincent's strategy, which would consolidate several outmoded buildings into a single, more compact one, reflects the transformation of New York's shrinking hospital industry.

While other developers tend to bulldoze hodgepodges of defunct, outmoded buildings, Mr. Goldman likes to turn them back into intricate neighborhoods.

But the interactive-technology companies can be a godsend to those landlords with outmoded or vacant buildings.

In fact, the new emphasis on practicality has not done much good for owners of outmoded buildings in inaccessible locations.

Once a flagship in Hispanic America, it now struggles with poorly paid teachers, dwindling research funds, huge numbers of absent or failing students and outmoded buildings and equipment.

Kraft and Lurie also needed new stadiums to replace outmoded buildings that did not generate enough revenue to keep teams competitive.