If you’ve ever had your daily commute extended by a passing train, only to see that train come to a stop and then go backwards, you know firsthand how the folks working on the railroad can make decisions that are simultaneously mystifying and infuriating all the livelong day. Kansas City Southern Railway only exacerbated that reputation with their recent decision to raze arguably one of the most unique and architecturally significant buildings in Louisiana.

Despite efforts by local preservationists to save the structure, KCS, which bought the property in North Baton Rouge in 1990, demolished the Union Tank Car Geodesic Dome on November 15. The Foundation for Historical Louisiana listed the 49-year-old dome as one of five “treasures in trouble” in the Baton Rouge area. It was also on the Louisiana Trust’s Top 10 Endangered State Properties list.

In a spineless move, reminiscent of the Baltimore Colts leaving for Indianapolis via a fleet of Mayflower moving trucks at four in the morning, KCS tore down the deteriorating structure under the cover of darkness and without warning. They also timed its razing to coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday, presumably to minimize media coverage.

Built in 1958 to house railroad tank cars, it was the largest geodesic dome at the time and the first designed for industrial use. It was nicknamed the “Bucky Dome” after the structure’s designer, R. Buckminster Fuller, a renowned scholar, philosopher, inventor, and mathematician. In fact, the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp to honor his contributions to humanity in 2004.

Fuller spent months in Baton Rouge while personally supervising the dome’s construction near the intersection of Scenic Highway and Brooklawn Avenue. So significant and revolutionary was this enormous building, its construction was chronicled by worldwide media. While Time mentioned its opening in a story on Fuller in 1958, Fortune validated its import by publishing a cover story on it.

Unfortunately, the pinheads at KCS only viewed it as a liability. Spokeswoman Doniele Kane claimed the railroad company demolished the landmark because of its “unsafe and deteriorating condition.” She said that because of “asbestos and trespassing incidents…the structure had become a public health and safety concern” and that “demolition of the building eliminates this public health and safety issue.”

For decades, you could have said the same thing about the old Heidelberg Hotel, before it was renovated into an upscale Hilton. Plus, it’s safe to say that the cost of saving that historical building was much greater than the $500,000 that KCS would have reportedly taken to get the dome off their hands.

Unlike Huey Long’s old stomping ground, which looms prominently over downtown Baton Rouge, the dome was likely a victim of its remote location. It was out of sight and out of mind for all but relatively few enthusiasts.

Even though members of Fuller’s family offered to assist in the preservation efforts, KCS went forward with the demolition, just a year before the building would have qualified for a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Perhaps they were encouraged to do so by all the local talk about demolishing another historic building – Baton Rouge High School – but that’s another topic for another day.

While KCS seems indifferent toward the cultural value of preserving such a structure, they apparently do have at least a nominal amount of concern for their own historical preservation. Why else would their official website feature a link to the Kansas City Southern Historical Society’s site, www.kcshs.org? Feel free to surf over and ask them that. Just don’t try to take out your frustrations on a KCS locomotive with your Hyundai.