This is certainly one of the cases where the land-based tax reform could be helpful. Also, buying this house would only be a part of the huge cost undertaken. The inside seems to be seriously deteriorated. And it needs a lot of exterior work, too. I wonder how much the exterior work would cost were someone to do a respectable job under present conditions, versus something that met the standards it would have to meet were the Historical Mavens to get their mitts on the project. It might be a good test case -- have two contractors bid on it, one each way. Who knows, maybe the people who keep telling me the Historically Certified jobs aren't really that much more expensive than competent regular jobs are right. You (you know who you are) are willing to spend money to get someone to prepare a "nomination," why not toss a few bucks at acceptable contractors so we know what we're really talking about?
As another point of reference, the property immediately to the east of this house was a similar structure, also boarded up. A homeless person was using it, and set it on fire (accidentally, I think). The damage was so great that it had to be demolished. Word a few years ago was that the lot -- and it's a nice one for the area because it's reasonably deep -- was bought by people who planned to build a modern house on it. And that's the last I ever heard. This would be a nice spot for a community garden -- flowers or vegetables -- even on a year-by-year basis. But we apparently can't get our act together well enough to maintain the "Garden Club" garden we have (at 44th & Locust), so this is probably a pipe dream. Maybe if the local Community Association movers and shakers put the time and money into this worthwhile sort of thing, instead of smoking whatever weeds possess them to worry about Disneyfying their neighbors' houses with a phony historical argument, we'd have something... but this is probably a pipe dream, too. Al Krigman ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. Archive is at <http://www.mail-archive.com/>.
