Why should you have to plan your decor around leaks? Who the heck is responsible for the roof? This doesn't make any sense to me.

Heh, thanks for the injection of perspective.

The condo is of course collectively responsible for the integrity of the building's structure.

Just for background: my paranoia is rooted in history. About nine years ago a horrific mold infestation - prolonged by a series of tragicomically inept remediators and inspectors ("no really, it's all gone this time!") - took a major bite out of my health. Even years later, recovery isn't 100%: I expect to remain on thyroid pills the rest of my life, and to have to continue avoiding gluten which had never been a problem my first 40 years, and retain a hypersensitivity so some molds and dust. I'm like a bloodhound that way. Had to abandon most of my possessions which couldn't go in the dishwasher or washing machine (including 1000+ LPs, the horror!). It was all pretty dang traumatic. PTSD is apparently common among "mold survivors."

And the nineteenth century building's history includes water ingress via porous building walls, inadequate or decayed skylight flashing, poor gutter maintenance, and (not relevant to the ground floor ceiling, but I couldn't leave it out) basement flooding / floor drain disrepair. All addressed. Is that everything, and is it forever? I won't bet on it.

So I'm trying to cover my bases, like almost anyone would tile a bathroom even though you really should never flood it. And just because the condo ownership is legally and financially (but as 11% of the condo, so am I) on the hook, I still want to nurture this space, give it what it wants and needs. I wouldn't insist on a green grass lawn in the Mojave; I'll think twice before rebuilding my ceilings and walls from Purina Mold Chow in this building.

But yeah, I could've led off with the aesthetic considerations. I'd gotten interested in some kind of wood or bamboo ceiling treatment the last I lived there, before my mold exile. Some elements are needed to relieve the vast expanses of painted sheetrock. And the track lighting absolutely must be replaced with something functional and visually appealing.

So I'd like to tear out track lighting; add a number of ceiling-mounted light fixtures and fans; run the wiring and add switches and dimmers needed by the aforementioned. And I *may* need to tear out a section of ceiling after inadequate remediation following a leak in the last year. That's a fair bit of ceiling work already, and hey, I've long thought there was a major aesthetic opportunity on the ceiling front, so why not consider killing all these birds at once. And if we're replacing the ceiling, it's maybe not the worst idea to bear in mind that the building/unit has a history of leaks, and its owner and near-future inhabitant has a serious mold hypersensitivity, so why not throw that into the heap of considerations and look at what's resistant and/or more easily replaceable in case of a future incident.

I guess my primary questions were/are: "do any of these newfangled drop ceilings look nice enough for 600 square feet of urban condo LR/DR/kitchen?" and "should I just go with some kind of plank ceiling if that's what I'm really drawn to?" and "how much should I worry about resale, and how will any of these options affect resale in my area?"

With a drop ceiling you could not see if there was a leak showing on the original ceiling, or causing mold to grow there. You'd need a bigger leak before you could detect it.

Thanks, socalgal - seems like a valid point. I think I'm leaning more and more toward wood/bamboo planks or panels, if and when the ceiling gets a makeover. If that starts looking like a reality I'll be back with more focused questions.