Dropped Ceiling

[swords99]

I recently bought a 120 year old house. Most of the rooms have dropped ceilings. What are the most common reasons people would install such ceilings? Easy maintenance? Moisture problems? Flaw, defects? Looks?

Should I consider removing these ceilings and make repairs if necessary to the original ceiling, or just leave them alone? I really want to restore the house as opposed to renovate/remodel.