Photo and blog post by John HoffWhile driving around the EcoVillage area of Hawthorne recently, it seemed all was calm, all was bright in those four square blocks of urban ecotopia...except for one fly in the ointment, one smelly fish ruining the festive feast: the Kleindl slumlord property at 420 30th Ave. N., which had a utility shutoff notice on the door.
The Kleindl empire has had its ups and downs, some of which I've written about here on Johnny Northside Dot Com. It's hard to tell, moment by moment, whether the Kleindl empire is thriving or if the whole shebang is about to collapse like Imperial Rome. City records show the rental license at this property is "in review" as of October 4, 2010. The taxpayer is United Homes, Inc. (which is run by the Kleindls) but the owner is some bank.
One is tempted to "read the tea leaves" from little external clues such as the utility shut-off notice and the "license in review" but the truth is...who knows?
One thing is for sure: the EcoVillage, which used to be (quite arguably) the toughest four blocks in the city, is a massive success story of urban revitalization.
How many properties does this Kleindl have? Got any more addresses to share with us?
ReplyDeleteThis house was foreclosed on. Kleindl moved to Texas.
ReplyDeleteTo Captain Slumlord Buster: I wish...
ReplyDeleteI will see what I can do.
To Anonymous: The name of the bank listed as the owner might make me believe it was foreclosed upon, sure, but can you provide any more info? Your assertion may or may not be true, it is anonymous, and published as part of vital community discussion.
It's pretty easy to go to the Hennepin County site and see the name of the bank. It's listed as:
ReplyDelete"SEC STATE BANK OF HOWARD LK"
You're welcome.
The link provided in the story--which you didn't bother to check before you gave me that sarcastic little "You're welcome"--has the bank information you just posted.
ReplyDeleteI don't see the listing of a bank as the owner to be solid proof the property was foreclosed upon but, really, I'd like to get a list of ALL the properties which are (or were) part of United Homes, LLC.
I posted as anon 8:33 pm... and here is some more info.
ReplyDeleteI saw foreclosure papers on the front door a couple months ago... sometime after the water was disconnected... sometime after the tenants moved out... sometime after I heard (from Phil's sister and/or brother in law) that Phil Kleindl was selling all of his Minneapolis properties and moving/moved to Texas. Also, I just heard from a reputable source that the sheriff sale has already occurred.
I am quite certain he moved to Texas because.... When I purchased my house from Kleindl he decided to remove an in-wall air conditioner and take it to Texas with him. When I closed on the house I had to have money put in escrow until the a/c unit was returned... because apparently Phil thought it belonged to "The Business" (United Homes) and it didn't have to stay with the house. He had to pay someone to transport the air conditioner from Texas back to my house. (We also had money in escrow for two refrigerator shelves which were supposed to be replaced prior to closing but were nowhere to be found when I did the final walkthrough.... buyer beware.)
However, he didn't feel the need to remove the trash, construction debris, diapers, tractor tire, dirt piles, or glass from the backyard and take that to Texas with him... or the bucket of feces resembling goo that undoubtedly also belonged to "The Business." I guess only the good stuff belonged to the business... all the shit was supposed to stay with the house because the sale was "as-is."
Well lucky for me I'm not an idiot. And lucky for me Phil Kleindl doesn't own any houses near me anymore... although in his defense... he wasn't the worst, wasn't the best.