Photos by Jeff Skrenes,Hawthorne Housing Director
Even people who frequently call 311 aren't always aware of this little factoid: Houses must have house numbers. If they don't...
...it's a housing code violation. House numbers are important to have for calling 911, or utility companies, or just to keep people from driving around in circles unable to get some kind of geographic clue. HOUSES MUST HAVE (EXPLETIVE) HOUSE NUMBERS!!!! (Click here for a fun and illustrative link)
Jeff took this picture of a house without a (complete) house number on the 3000 block of Lyndale Ave. N., to document its vacancy status. You can tell a house is vacant when it has one of those big honkin' locks hanging off the doorknob, see top photo.
9 comments:
Nice sapling growing right out of the foundation too.
The address of the place is 3008 Lyndale.
that was me, leaving a comment without realizing I needed to change back to my login ID on here.
Arg!!!!! Two Johnny Northsides, both declaring themselves the "true" Johnny Northside! The spirit of the JACC civil war is spreading throughout North Minnneapolis!
OK, so a second ago I notified 311 via email about the house number thing.
A bit of history on these houses. The house in the photo is known as a "dream home" put up on vacant lots across North Minneapolis by a group of investors who wanted to make a quick buck on rental housing. They were hauled in on trucks and put up with cranes and most of them were built without basements, without central heat (baseboard electric only - cheaper to install and easier to bill the tenant) and without garages. They were something like 5 or 6 bedrooms and 2 baths - whatever generated the most rental income based on number of bedrooms. Some of the homes with basements have been rehabbed and look very nice - but they were the later houses and the basements make a big difference. Not only did the investors collect big bucks in rent, they also refinanced them, taking cash out based on comps for much higher-quality homes in the area. They were later sold to out-of-state investors and most are now in foreclosure. As I recall from an article in the North News when these things were going up - they were built to last less than 20 years in most cases. If you drive around North Minneapolis, you'll see these things all over - and you can see a big difference in quality between these homes and some of the other new construction in the area.
The anonymous poster is right on. If anyone ever wants to truly understand the phrase, "If looks could kill," then come to a Hawthorne Housing Committee meeting and say the words "Dream House." The long-term residents will stare daggers at you until you make a derogatory comment proving you understand how terrible these things have been for our community.
I was on the HACC when that house was built and even had the opportunity to tour it shortly after it was assembled. I was very impressed with how much it looked like an actual house, until I was close enough to see the details. It felt almost like a theatre set.
As for house numbers, not only do you have to have them but they need to be visible from the street. My numbers were partially obscured by shrubbery and the city let me know about it. I've fixed that problem.
KCz
Those plastic houses indeed look cheap. To me, any home with plastic or metal siding appear "cheap" to me. The sapling trees out front will eventually bore a large crack/hole in the slab, allowing moisture to get in. Not a good thing when a house starts to lean.
I wouldn't give this property even 20 years before it either falls on its own or with the help of a giant ball.
I'd buy a 20s bungalow in the area before any of the new construction.
Post a Comment