^^ To be fair, we've always worked on assumptions around here. Everything's fair as long as you don't take it too seriously. I can understand the feeling that they will modernize the entrance when it comes time to do that. I think they'll do just fine, but it makes sense to be uneasy about such a big change. Like I said about the costumes, a lot of the changes in style are part of the inevitable march of time and different people with different perspectives. This park was built by people who were trying to relive what their grandparents told them about, and now it's being rebuilt (and visited) by people who only see the 1880's in the occasional movie and are more focused on the business of building up a competitive theme park.
I don't like some of the cleaner, more obviously faux details they have been employing around the parks in things like signage and other things, but try explaining the subtle differences to someone who's got to pump out 1,000 or more random signs a year for each park.
I think they've been doing really well with the recent architecture at SDC though. Everything built in the last decade looks great! Fireman's Landing has tons of detail and theming, not to mention the creative details spread throughout the area. Taking out the water clock is about the only thing that I'd be worried about with the new entrance.
In any case, it will be worth it to get a proper entrance that suits the park's needs. It's been a couple decades or more overdue now...