"Old Style" Versus "New Style" Boards On Vacant North Minneapolis Properties...

Photos By John Hoff

My arcane obsession with vacant, foreclosed properties knows few limits. Everything fascinates me: from the "official" paperwork tacked to the doors, to trends in lawn mowing--or crying lack of--to subtle variations on the gray boards covering doors and windows.

Or, as the city puts it, "apertures."

How much per board, per aperture? Despite reading this blog, there might be things you DON'T want to know.

Some people like trains. They watch the cars and get all excited over a rare example of some kind of locomotive. Some people collect coins.

But I like houses. I like vacant houses, but I like 'em more at the moment they begin to fill with people, and I like 'em best when they are filled with home owners who eat Thanksgiving turkey and bring home cutie pie babies from the hospital. Or, you know, they can eat tofu and bring home a cat. Whatever. The point is to go from neighborhoods filled with emptiness to neighborhoods...filled with fullness. 

Anyway, long ago I noticed there is an uncommon variation of board...

...which I call the "trim board," because it has kind of a decorative frame around it. I get the sense these are an old, somewhat inefficient form of board which didn't catch on. Certainly, the new boards being slapped up don't have trim, so I assume trim boards are an older variant.

Interestingly, the garage at Connie Nompelis' $7,900 house has BOTH VARIATIONS OF BOARD on the rear portion. (See photos, above) 

"My word," I gasped, when I saw this. "I'VE FOUND THE MISSING LINK!!!!"