416 31st Ave. N. Goes Down, Hawthorne Eco-Village Moves Forward...

Contributed photo, blog post by John Hoff

Located right next to "the Polish Lady" in the Hawthorne Eco-Village, the house at 416 31st Ave. N. was right in the middle of everything. And, by virtue of being in the middle of everything, it was the subject of several stories here on Johnny Northside Dot Com, everything from a bloody and disturbing tale of pit bull fighting to...


...stolen aluminum window frames to a real estate tour which turned into a festival of "stupid property repairs." Oh, and the owner of the property reportedly "trying to save face."

In the last year or so, the house was a rental while for sale on the market. There wasn't much trouble with the renters, unlike the situation for years before that as one no-account after another lived at the property and hurt the quality of life for decent people living in the Eco-Village.

About a month ago, I got word the house was demolished. As far as I know, no pictures of the demolition were taken. Progress in the Eco-Village has become so commonplace we are starting to take it for granted. The march of revitalization in North Minneapolis is unstoppable.

The "Problem Child Of The Block" Becomes The Residential Equivalent Of A Model Citizen!

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

It was only a couple of years ago when I wrote about 416 30th Ave. N. being the "problem child of the block." This house at 416 30th Ave. N. had garbage piles in the yard, until a crack squad of sanitation commandos landed, click here.

This is the house which once stole electricity from 3016 6th St. N, click here, which was the subject of some of of my very early blog posts, click here.

Oh, and then there was the time the fire department chopped down the front door because of a gas leak. Click here.

Finally the house was torn down, click here.

But now a new house, pictured above, is being built on the spot. (The green paint with the house number is a nice eco-conscious touch!) It seems only yesterday I found a mysterious cord attached to 3016 6th St. N., made of many wires spliced together, dangerously siphoning off electricity and melting a path in the snow all the way to the rear of 416 30th Ave. N.

Yes, it SEEMS like only yesterday but it was, in fact, a couple years ago. Here's what actually happened only yesterday: I was catching up on my email, and I learned a meeting of the EcoVillage Task Force had been canceled for the month of December. Why was the meeting cancelled, you might ask?

There was nothing pressing to discuss. It was better to concentrate on the upcoming holidays and meet later.

This is the progress we've seen in the Hawthorne EcoVillage, and it is amazing.

(Do Not Click "Read More")

416 30th Ave. N. Goes Down...3016 6th St. N. Faces Backhoe Of Doom...

Photos By John Hoff

Back from my road trip "east bound and down" to Kentucky, loaded with cargo and tales from the road, it was no surprise to me that my NoMi neighborhood didn't remain stagnant while I was away but kept changing while my back was turned.

Two of the most notable changes: 416 30th Ave. N. has become a vacant lot. This is the house which once stole my electricity when I owned 3016 6th St. N. As for 3016, which I sold to the City of Minneapolis to assist in the development of the Eco Village cluster project...

Now there is a backhoe parked in the front yard of 3016 6th St. N. and the demolition of the house can be measured in days at the most, but possibly mere hours and minutes. Both these properties are located in the Eco Village cluster project, which was once the most crime-ridden part of the Hawthorne Neighborhood. Now crime there has dropped to virtually nothing and numerous crappy properties have been demolished...a pattern replicated throughout North Minneapolis, a rapidly-revitalizing area recently named the city's hottest "gayborhood" by Lavender Magazine.

The photos above show 3016 6th St. N. awaiting demolition, and 416 30th Ave. N. as a field of gently-laid straw, ah.