We express our admiration for the civic buildings

The taxi driver and I.

We like these stately edifices

That escaped the blitz and architectural cleansing.

There are pediments and fascias

Architraves and cornices

That retain some grandeur and some elegance,

Although banks are now night clubs,

Post offices and fire brigade HQs

Are hotels and restaurants.

But their outward form remains

Like a valet forced to wear a party hat

Some like gentry on hard times in genteel poverty

But getting by

Or waiting for something to turn up.

Nearly there...

We express our admiration for the civic buildings

The taxi driver and I.

We like these stately edifices 

That escaped the blitz and architectural cleansing.

There are pediments and fascias 

Architraves and cornices 

That retain some grandeaur and some elegance,

Although banks are now night clubs, 

Post offices and fire brigade HQs 

Are hotels and restaurants.

But their outward / outer form remains 

Like a valet forced to wear a party hat 

Some like gentry on hard times in genteel poverty 

But getting by 

Or waiting for something to turn up.

It's now coming down to a search for the right word...

We express our admiration for the civic buildings,
The taxi driver and I

We like these stately (took a while for me to decide on this word) edifices
That escaped (the) blitz and architectural cleansing

There are pediments and fascias
Architraves and cornices

(so what? - well, that are still quite grand and well-proportioned... elegant is perhaps the better word.)

Banks are now night clubs
Post offices and fire brigade HQs
Are hotels and restaurants

But their form remains  ('form' is not quite the right word)
Like a valet forced to wear a party hat
Some like gentry on hard times in genteel poverty
But getting by
Or waiting for something to turn up

We express our admiration for the civic buildings,
The taxi driver and I

We like these ............. edifices
That escaped (the) blitz and architectural cleansing

There are pediments and fascias
Architraves and cornices

(so what?)

Banks are now night clubs
Post offices and fire brigade HQs
Are hotels and restaurants

But their form remains
Like a valet forced to wear a party hat
Some like gentry on hard times in genteel poverty
But getting by
Or waiting for something to turn up

Without much idea of where this is heading, I'll start by playing with the word order at the start:

We express our admiration for the civic buildings,
The taxi driver and I

We like these (not happy with unrazed) edifices
That escaped blitz and architectural cleansing
(but I like architectural cleansing - so common in towns and cities where good buildings were replaced by flat top boxes - now mostly looking sad and in need of removal themselves...)

Now need to brush up on my terms:
There are pediments and
Architraves and
(Reference work required)

Banks are now night clubs
Post offices and fire brigade HQs
Are restaurants and hotels
(All this is true and, I hope, in a kind of rhythmic order. Though would 'hotels and restaurants' be better?)

But their form remains
Like a valet forced to wear ...... (what - a tutu? a party hat?)
Some like gentry on hard times in genteel poverty
But getting by
Or waiting for something to turn up

The taxi driver and I express our admiration for the civic buildings

For those unrazed edifices

That escaped blitz and architectural cleansing

There are pediments and

Architraves and

Banks are now night clubs

Post offices and fire brigade HQs

Are restaurants and hotels

But their form remains

Like a valet forced to wear ......

Some like gentry on hard times in genteel poverty

But getting by

Or waiting for something to turn up