415 30th Ave. N. Fire Damaged

Photos By John Hoff

On Friday night, I drove through the Eco Village area with my 11-year-old son, who was seeing me for the weekend. Alex thinks it is high adventure to merely drive around, calling 911 and 311...

Though the Eco Village has turned around dramatically, I feel like it still needs my continuous monitoring to keep from sliding back. When I see dystopian backsliding, I tell myself, "Arg, I should have been here!"

This time I noticed there had been a fire at 415 30th Ave. N.

Dang it. This is a decent house, though gangs have congregated there to have parties. I've struggled repeatedly to make sure this property stays secured, click here. And now it's fire damaged. It will be sold at a fire sale price. Literally.

The fire worries me, because it damaged the house but didn't completely doom the place. This is the kind of property a slumlord buys really cheap and fixes with coats of paint, and for years the miserable tenants wonder why their clothing hung in a closet always smells like smoked rat.

WELL, BE WARNED, SLUMLORDS: 415 30th Ave. N. borders the Hawthorne Eco Village, and your slummy activities will not be tolerated. Look upon 3001 6th St. N., click here, and shudder. BUY PROPERTY ELSEWHERE!!!!