tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826793.post6512317006226356971..comments2023-10-02T08:28:06.724-05:00Comments on Ecology of Absence: Lost Chance on ShenandoahMichael R. Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17262548806079447404noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826793.post-12373452438315835632009-01-16T17:18:00.000-06:002009-01-16T17:18:00.000-06:00This is right down the street from me, and while i...This is right down the street from me, and while it is currently a bit of an eye-sore, demolishing it would be terrible, there is already another vacant lot on Shenandoah a bit further West toward Grand.Y?https://www.blogger.com/profile/11649272113923397688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826793.post-61864589217768083112009-01-14T18:44:00.000-06:002009-01-14T18:44:00.000-06:00One of the properties owners across the street fro...One of the properties owners across the street from this property is a client of mine. I actually came by the day after the fire. My client told me that the now former owner was in over his head when residential rehab prices started to slip and he was losing everything. She admitted that she had snuck into the house after the fire department left and that there were obvious signs that someone had spread some sort of accelerant all over the house. I don't know if anything official ever happened, but sounded like a textbook case of arson for insurance money. The shell was totally salvageable though. What a shame.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826793.post-90336154569008165922009-01-14T11:05:00.000-06:002009-01-14T11:05:00.000-06:00Ooor, you could do like Baltimore and DC do (I've ...Ooor, you could do like Baltimore and DC do (I've seen it) and mothball the buildings. This is just negligence on the part of the owner(s) and the City. Frankly, considering the speed at which this structure came down, I wouldn't be surprised if their weren't some, ahem, "understanding" between the Building Div. and the owners(s). Not to mention the demo company. This town is corrupt, and this demolition is an indication of that. Certainly everyone remembers that three employees of the Building were indicted on taking kickbacks (or was it an out and out bribe, can't remember). Don't be so naive, folks. It's so unbecoming of otherwise intelligent and self-aware psople. As for the nabe folks, do you really think that tearing down this building will stop or curtail drug activity in your nieghbohood? You're starting down a dangerous and destructive path: blaming the building for the actions of its' occupants or owners. Look to the northside for the aftermath of 35 years of this misbegotten and uninformed attitude. If you want a better way of ultimately destroying your neighborhood, I don't think you'll find one. Death of a nabe by a thousand cuts. Or demolitons, as the case may be. "Well, it's just this one building." And then another, and another... A building was torn down on Juniata near Louisiana back in '07, and it too had sustained some fire damage, though it appearred to be minimal and confined to the kitchen area in one unit. Now it's a vacant lot. How many other "fires" are going to occur on the southside now that the norhtside is largely hollowed out? The demo cos. are running out of mines to gather brick, where do you think they're going to go? Where the buildings are, that's where: the southside. Fortunately, with the recession in full swing, the demand for "antique" bricks is probably waaay down. Nobody building McMansions in Houston or Atlanta featuring St. Louis brick. I know, a little tin-foil hat-ish, but these demos don't make sense most of the time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826793.post-9455668086264498732009-01-14T09:02:00.000-06:002009-01-14T09:02:00.000-06:00I live in Shaw and I do find it troubling whenever...I live in Shaw and I do find it troubling whenever something like this happens. When new buildings are put up on lots like this, no matter how nice of a home is built, they never really match the historic character of the neighborhood.<BR/><BR/>Of course, one of the problems now is finding someone willing to invest in a burned out historic building. A few years ago when the market was really on fire it might have been easier to expect someone to step up and be willing to rehab something like this. <BR/><BR/>Unfortunately, now that building would likely have stayed empty and abandoned for a very long time. Buildings like that invite vagrancy, drugs and other crime onto that block. <BR/><BR/>Shaw has steadily been improving in the 10 years we have lived here and part of that can be attributed to the number of abandoned buildings that have either been rehabbed or torn down. It is a conundrum - let beautiful historic buildings sit empty until someone comes along and takes care of them thus inviting crime, or tear them down in order to remove the blight.Ronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01792991829886390839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826793.post-3761533990900361542009-01-14T08:26:00.000-06:002009-01-14T08:26:00.000-06:00I think the issue here is that the costs associate...I think the issue here is that the costs associated with gutting a building in this state to the ground and rebuilding a structure to support the existing facade is a deterent to developers. In the end, it is cheaper (for the city and potential buyers) to completely demolish the building, grade the lot, and rebuild, ground-up.<BR/><BR/>It is a shame that Shaw will be losing such a beautiful structure, but the neighborhood is an historic district, which means that any new structure built on the property will have to meet a certain set of criteria that will ensure that whatever is built on the lot will hopefully blend with the surrounding homes.<BR/><BR/>Also, I have to add that as someone who lives in the area, I know that many of the neighbors are excited that ANYTHING is happening on the property, whether it is demolition or renovation, as in recent months it has become a haven for drug dealing, vandalism, and other criminal activities.Megan K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04302517092005363531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826793.post-60065058153790432032009-01-14T08:02:00.000-06:002009-01-14T08:02:00.000-06:00DC and Baltimore save facades all the time too, an...DC and Baltimore save facades all the time too, and to great effect.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08064334959354090683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826793.post-42443418176356934642009-01-13T22:52:00.000-06:002009-01-13T22:52:00.000-06:00Like I said before, it's like knocking out a tooth...Like I said before, it's like knocking out a tooth. First it's just one, and it looks really bad; then one day you wake up and your mouth is empty.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08064334959354090683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8826793.post-68866916789594408862009-01-13T22:09:00.000-06:002009-01-13T22:09:00.000-06:00Huh-low!Save the facade! New Orleans does it all t...Huh-low!<BR/><BR/>Save the facade! New Orleans does it all the time! This town is simply unbelievable! How can this process be changed?!Matt M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/09279246676749137494noreply@blogger.com