Building 533

Generally speaking, there are three things you can do with an old building:

1. Renovate and repurpose it,
2. Restore it to its original condition for use as a museum, and
3. Demolish it.

Thomas Jefferson's second home, "Poplar Forest," is a good example. For several generations it remained in his family, and was renovated to fit successive waves of modernization. The outhouses were removed, electricity and indoor plumbing installed, and the kitchen moved indoors.
However, in spite of these renovations, it became an anachronism. With indoor heating, having a fireplace in every room was no longer a feature. Going downstairs to use the kitchen was inconvenient. And the octagonal shape was just plain weird. Over time, it became a Frankenstein's monster of design compromises, to the point that it was simply not an enjoyable place to live.

Poplar Forest's saving grace was that Thomas Jefferson had owned it, so instead of being demolished, it became a museum. I remember visiting it in 2012.

On Camp Cama, there remain less than a handful of buildings from before September 1945, when the U.S. took control of the Imperial Japanese military academy. Building 533 is one of them. It was originally build as a barracks building, then converted into office space, and finally a recreation center.
Unfortunately, Building 533 is no longer useful. The activities that it used to host have found better buildings from which to operate. Its more modern addition (ironically) suffers from a mold infestation. And it lacks sufficient parking space for large groups to gather.

As a result, Building 533 is scheduled for demolition within the next couple years. I think this is somewhat sad, but I also think it is inevitable. The U.S. Army is not in the museum management business. Nor is the Japanese government interesting in keeping any reminders of the pre-war period. The building has, quite simply, outlived its usefulness.
Nevertheless, I still hope the wisteria tree survives. It was there in the 1930s, and it's still here, almost 90 years later.