Sorry for not replying, been damn busy, but it's great to see there are others who think this way.
Thanks for the mod sugggestions! Unfortunately, like you state, they do not go all the way, but it's better than nothing I assume. They also seem to suggest that a more radical solution to keep the older, better looking buildings could be sought.
It's also weird the rate at which buildings are replaced. At any given time, there seem to be hardly any buildings more than 10 years old! I wonder what mechanics govern building replacement. If I made a game, as one of the conditions, I think I would not have a building torn down and replaced if the new building wasn't bigger and offered more jobs/residents.
Also been thinking about an alternative approach to an architecture 'era freeze' mod. What if you could mod, i.e design and introduce new buildings into the game? Much like people are modding locomotive and rolling stock? Then perhaps you could make an entire set of buildings to replace those currently in use for a entire era. In regards to the "Mid" era for example, beginning in 1900, one could replace all the current modernist, out of place looking buildings with glorious Jugend/Art Noveau (Turn of the century) buildings intermingled with new Revivalis styles/Beaux Art ones (19th century). In addition, the "Late" period could be scrapped altogether and industrial buildings remain at the "Early" period level throughout.
What do you think?
P.S: What really baffles me is how today's game designers appear not to understand their own customer base. People who are into transport simulation and construction management/builder games tend to fall into two categories: 1) Those who are mainly into getting new, better and faster stuff, and who are perfectly happy with modern design, and 2) Those who just love the aesthetics of for instance a beautiful steam locomotive and are similarly disposed towards older, premodernist architecture and surroundings. Thing is the earlier group, we could call them the "engineers", don't really care all that much what the towns look like as long as they are well made, so there is actually no reason not to indulge the latter group's sensibilities (which we could call the "premodernists") in providing a beautiful premodernist setting to the game or at least the choice of retaining it! "Tropico 4 - Modern Times" made the exact same mistake in that instead of leaving a free choice it forced the player to build hideous modernist/neo-modernist housing after a certain date. This was the main reason me and a lot of other people never bought that particular expansion.
