Please don't demolish this house, Minneapolis!
Not only is this house salvageable, (and thus should be SOLD TO SOMEONE WHO WILL FIX IT) but guess what we'll be left with if it gets razed?
... we'll be left with a giant space - a HOLE. Like a missing tooth on a 2nd grader, big house-less-holes are NOT attractive and we don't need any more of them around here, in my view.
Feel free to call Elizabeth Glidden, City Councilmember @ 612-673-2208 if you agree that this is tragic and want to tell her so. You don't need to live in Central, but if you do, even better!
10 comments:
WHat a nice house! I can't believe someone is thinking about tearing it down! SUch nice detail on it, good bones, etc. Why, if it was in MY town, I would buy it in a heartbeat! (I don't care WHAT it needs!)
Despite the need to conserve resources, Minneapolis is generally more than happy to fill landfills with older homes that just need some tlc. City Inspections determines what the cost would be to bring the entire house up to code, and then if that exceeds the cost of demolition they demolish it. Of course this formula is faulty in so many ways, and only serves the needs of their budget. For example, if the house is renovated, the city and the neighborhood has a better-than-new home; if it's demolished, the neighborhood has an empty lot that will either do nothing, or wait until someone spends $250K to build a new house complete with buffalo board walls & plastic siding, a "trailerhouse on a foundation", as it were.
Ugh! The house is gorge. How awful to have a mismatched brand new house on that block if they choose to raze it.
Don't do it!!!
Phew, I'm so glad this turned out not to be the end of the line.
For what it's worth to whoever is interested, a call to the Central Library yielded a builder's name of W.J. Hamilton.
He pulled the permit for construction of 3021 Park Ave on June 21, 1889.
This house's ownership will likely be transferred to Urban Homeworks which will rehab it. The bank is basically giving 3021 Park to Urban Homeworks, so this is a great deal for all. While the transfer of ownership is not complete yet, this solution is greatly supported by the Minneapolis Problem Properties Unit and the neighborhood association (CANDO).
I presented about 3021 Park and the Urban Homeworks deal last month (December) at the CANDO board meeting.
Thanks for your attention to this building. Call if you ever have questions - I might have been able to save you some heartache about this property.
Elizabeth Glidden
Ward 8 Councilmember
(612) 673-2208
elizabeth.glidden@ci.minneapolis.mn.us
Would the owner share photos of the
inside?
There should be a place besides
the National Trust and fancy old
house real estate websites that
charge BIG fees where you could
advertise a house like this either free or cheap and get
it so someone who would rehab it...
Golly when Christine Viken sold the
VanDusen mansion near Franklin last
year, one of the places she listed
it was Ebay!
P.S. There were THREE wonderful
rehabbed houses on 31st and Park
which were the most visited properties on the MPLS/ST. Paul
house tour last year...
Thanks for your attention to this Elizabeth! It sounds like I need to make time to attend some CANDO meetings myself too... or at least try to get the minutes so I know what's going on.
I appreciate your response, as well as your help in preserving this house!
Park has such beautiful homes, if a neighborhood ever needs dedicated homeowners, the Park Ave area is it. Hope someone takes up the challenge!
Don't most banks either not even know they own a house or just want to get rid of it to anyone who will take it?
Anonymous, good question. I am reeeeally trying to get inside this place and get photos! If and when I can, you can be I will post them here right away!
Also, you're totally right about the houses on the 31xx block - I was just in one last Friday... the very same day I took these photos. That house (one of the ones on the tour) was GORGEOUS!
What irony, eh?
Alie: you are so right. We have a great wealth of architecture on Park Ave! I am amazed anew every time I get to view a different place on that street. Some of these homes are literally mind-boggling in their grandeur.
Kwatt: oh, *this* bank knows what they've got, I'd imagine, after all the hullabaloo over this place. As for selling it to whoever will buy, I'm not so sure there.
This place has no record in the MLS, which says to me that it's never been marketed to the buying public.
Rather interesting...
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