There is a block close to my house where 9 single family homes are boarded up awaiting demolition. On N. Interstate, a new condo tower is going in – albeit only a 6 story “tower.” While I’m glad to see the change, I am saddened by the loss of some great 1920’s or earlier bungalows and Victorians.
Well, it appears at least one of the houses is going to be saved. I wandered by the other evening and this house is up on steel I-beams awaiting transport somewhere. I thought it would move this past weekend, but alas, it is still there. Such a beautiful house. Someone has a gem on their hands. According to PortlandMaps, this house has a market value where it is at of $275K. I wonder how much the buyer paid. Seriously. They are saving the development company cash money by taking the house away. Yet, the house has value. Was it a $1000 deal? A $10,000 deal? Just think. Wouldn’t it be cool to buy a house for that cheap? Granted, you have to find a lot and pay to move it, but in the end, you would have a gem.
I’m glad the house is being saved. Built in 1907, we should cherish such homes. Now, if only the Rebuilding Center could get the contract to deconstruct the other houses and salvage the materials….
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it would make so much more sense to do it that way, but it also requires a great deal of patience to move a home and then get it ready to be lived in… patience (and time) is something that not all home buyers have.
A house in my neighborhood was moved last year, only a few blocks away. It is still being renovated, but I’m sure when it’s done it will be truly amazing.
Those houses are near my house as well and I use that max stop daily to get to work. Those houses were poorly maintained and had graffiti and trash in the yards on a daily basis. The site is also not the most ideal for residential. It’s between a highway ramp, a max stop and a bank. It only makes sense in order for the city to get more dense to build up on sites that are existing. I’m not saying we should tear down old homes, but those homes were not worth saving.
Oh Anne, think of the memories living inside those homes. Some going back 100 yrs. Yeah, in the past 30, they may have seen dark years, but that doesn’t relegate them to the scrap heap. I love to look at old houses and think of the “old bones.” Mostly the hearty construction and solid structure one doesn’t find in new homes. I agree that they were rundown. I’m just glad one is being saved.
I don’t disagree that there were memories in that home, but in their current condition those memories weren’t given their due justice. Don’t get me wrong. I live in a 100 year old house (well 100 next year) just off Mississippi and recently completed a remodel where we found all sorts of neat “memories” in the walls of the house. I have nothing against old homes, but I also see the need for progress and using the same in a new way.
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