People look down on those who brag for the purpose of touting their self-perceived greatness or, worse, for ridiculing or belittling others.

But, what can be referred to as “controlled bragging” should not be construed as bad in all cases. It can have a positive, useful purpose, if its intent is built genuinely around helping others.

Downtown Altoona’s former McCrory’s 5 & 10 building at 1306 11th Ave. is a great example of the latter. Other communities should take notice and heed an opportunity that should become reality, if local leaders, as they ought to do, make that opportunity available.

Anyone who has lived in or around Altoona for more than a year or so can recall clearly when the building in question was nothing but a burden to this city — and a potential danger for anyone walking or traveling in the vicinity of the structure. The building’s condition had deteriorated terribly in the decades since the store was experiencing its heyday, and especially during the years since about 1989, when it first became vacant.

Consider one of the wonderful opportunities available, going forward:

Altoona could help other Pennsylvania communities and places beyond if it were to seize its new “window” to tell its McCrory’s building story –indeed, proclaim it — to any city or other place willing to listen.

The McCrory’s building, formerly an Altoona albatross, now is a meaningful component in the upbeat mission of adding verification to the downtown’s ongoing renaissance.

On the subject of renaissance, that mission still is far from complete, of course, but the downtown isn’t portraying itself as weary and weak from numerous setbacks or, worse, as a victim of something.

That’s a good thing. Times change and communities and their residents need to change to accommodate what is going on around them and, commendably, that evolution continues to happen here.

Thus, the downtown certainly isn’t the dying picture that it projected in the late 1960s and throughout much of the 1970s when redevelopment was ripping and tearing at what residents had recognized as being home for so many years before.

The completion of the McCrory’s restoration will continue to send out a signal: “That’s done. Now let’s embark on something else” for this good place — a good place to live, work and raise a family.

This city and its residents cannot say thank you enough to developer Christopher Cook, who was the human engine who recognized potential and had the will, stamina and physical and financial resources to refuse to allow a good building to become some wrecking ball’s victim. A thank you also is deserved by fellow developer Jeff Long, who now owns 51% of the project.

Their efforts are testimony to the kind of energy that is available in this city, which most often is known for its railroad heritage, but is home to so much more.

As a front page article in the Mirror’s Feb. 1-2 edition reported, the McCrory building — now the Center City Market food court — will consist of seven businesses, while there will be four apartments on each of the two upper floors.

What a miraculous change from challenges that, according to Cook, had included damage from roof leaks that had rotted all of the rafters, all the surface flooring and significant portions of the subfloors and joists on the top two stories, not to mention a five-foot-deep pool of water he found in the basement.