But the building is a significant one, a "monument of European importance," per British preservation group Twentieth Century Society.

The most common residential floor plans in European cities offer a window into urban history and culture. In London, it's the "two-up, two-down" row house.

A different kind of wealth distribution in 17th-century Amsterdam paved the way for its quintessential home design.

Even the most important cultural and architectural sites aren't immune to a chaotic world. Between war, natural disasters, and plain old capitalistic development, countless cultural heritage sites are in need of protection and preservation.