3306 James Ave. N. (Cute Starter Home With A Colorful History, PART TWO)

Photos By John Hoff

Here are a few more pictures I snapped at 3306 James Ave. N., at the end stage of its dramatic renovation...

From top to bottom, 1.) a more casual portrait of Tom, the contractor. He didn't see this one coming, so he looks more natural.

2.) Detail of the "keystone" feature over the front door. This was a golden opportunity for me to pontificate about the importance of the keystone to human history, because being able to support weight on stone arches allowed bigger buildings to be constructed, buildings which became important centers of religious and political administration. Though other construction methods have (mostly) surpassed the use of vaulted arches, one still sees decorative allusions and homages to the importance of the "keystone" in human history, as here at 3306 James Ave. N.

Given its central role as the first "special supervision" T.J. Waconia house to be renovated, 3306 James Ave. N. is indeed playing a kind of "keystone" role. This house shows it is possible to purchase and renovate these houses, and the bureaucratic hoops are not so difficult for QUALIFIED RENOVATORS with no history of being SLUMLORDS.

3.) Jeanie showing how open and airy the basement is, now that all the old partitions have been ripped out. I notice Jeannie's footwear is rather similar to what Connie Nompelis wears. Is this a real estate agent thing?

Note the copper pot hanging on the wall. I think it might be covering an old furnace hole, but the use of COPPER as a North Minneapolis basement decorative motif is an interesting trend.

4.) New plastic pipe. Sigh. See, this is why people will have to decorate their basements with objects made of copper.

5.) The old birdhouse in the back yard of 3306 James Ave. N., still awaiting renovation.