321 E 5th Street: It's coming down!

[sheclown]

After a sewer line has been cut, what is the typical time line until demolition?  Is there a way to find the actual demolition date?

Good Question!  Anybody know?

[Hypocrite]

After a sewer line has been cut, what is the typical time line until demolition?  Is there a way to find the actual demolition date?

Good Question!  Anybody know?

Am I to assume that the city is paying for these demolitions?  If they are, is there a way we can get a point of contact for the office that schedules them and maybe get a look at the calendar for the actual date of demolition?  I was at the house on 5th street when the guys were actually cutting the line and I asked them if they knew and they said "we don't know, we are just checking off a box on the list, they will come out whenever and finish up".  I know how it is, I didn't really expect him to know the big picture because I'm sure he just goes around doing the same thing at different locations.

[uptowngirl]

Actually I was asking about the one on Walnut- the 5th st house is actually pretty sound. Dad and I looked at that one last year, of course there is termite damage (as in most of the houses here), but we did not see dry rot, some bulging in the floor between the main house and the addition on the back (could just be poor piers), otherwise the house appeared pretty sound. If i remember correcty it had a pretty nice stair case (unless that was stripped-the owner (s) were taking a lot out back then). The wife was diagnosed with cancer and between the treatment and bills were unable to complete the restoration after gutting the house. This was a sad case, as it was not an investor gone bad-they truly wanted to live there and were just struck by hard by the cancer.

[Springfielder]

Since I spoke to her at lunch, Brenda has already been in contact with this owner, who is willing to sell this house for what he has in it....$24,000 plus a year's taxes, or about $26,000.  We have to move FAST since a demo order has already been issued.

He also has a house at 1528 Walnut, which he was going to request demo on but has not yet, and is willing to sell that one for $17,000.

Now's the time to step up to the plate, folks.  Get out there and find a buyer for these homes.  Call Brenda at the SPAR office with any leads you get.  We want homeowners, not "investors" who will board them up or flippers!!!  

The house on Walnut....he bought it for 15, and hasn't made any improvements at all...when I spoke with the owner (about 6 months ago) he wanted 15 for it...I see he's gone up. Anyway, he's wanted to take it down from the day he bought it, and his first attempt was stopped with help of my letter to the board. It's not a danger and it's not a safe risk. This house has been flipped several times in the past 5+ years, new owners had started work, although one (a young couple) had virtually stripped it of all original stuff, did some drywalling, and popcorned the ceilings...but still, it's a very fixable house. It's beautiful, and given the right owner who can restore it, it would be breath taking. This is one house that really needs to be saved.

[Springfield Chicken]

The house that breaks my heart is at 26 2nd St E.  It's been on the market since 2006 but always overpriced.  They finally worked their way down from $500K to $205K in December of '09, still high for this market.  Especially since the home has been stripped bare, vandalized, and left to sit neglected all this time.  One of the oldest homes in the area and it's a breath away from being gone forever.  It makes me angry and sad at the same time.

[ChriswUfGator]

The house that breaks my heart is at 26 2nd St E.  It's been on the market since 2006 but always overpriced.  They finally worked their way down from $500K to $205K in December of '09, still high for this market.  Especially since the home has been stripped bare, vandalized, and left to sit neglected all this time.  One of the oldest homes in the area and it's a breath away from being gone forever.  It makes me angry and sad at the same time.

Wow, some people still haven't gotten the market wakeup call, have they?

$205k is nutty.

[sheclown]

I almost bought that house 10 years ago.  Someone beat me to it.  It was bought for back taxes. 

[sheclown]

I believe the inspection before demolition is to occur on this house tomorrow. 

[Springfield Chicken]

Demolition of the one on E 5th or the one on E 2nd?

[sheclown]

E 5th.

[uptowngirl]

321 e 5th today:


Rendering of what it DID look like:


Similar houses in the neighborhood:

[iloveionia]

Update on 321 E. 5th Street

On Friday I called SPAR, Brenda answered, I asked for the owner's contact information for this home.
She emailed it to me, I called and left a voice mail message and sent an email on 9/17/10.

In a nutshell I said I was from Preservation SOS, a grassroots group trying to save our endangered homes, and that we wanted to "fix-up" the front of his property and do minor clean-up. All free and no cost. Etc., Etc.

He did not call me back, but responded to my email today, 9/19 and said:

Thanks, but no thanks.
Please stay off the property since it is a unsafe structure.

So we are 2 for 3. Until we are able to work with the city to promote and get policy change we will not be able to help our homes when owners respond as this one did. Sigh.

[sheclown]

The owner, Richard Vinas,  is the one who wants this house demolished.  



It does make it more difficult.

[sheclown]

People's First of Jacksonville is the owner on record.  Richard Vinas is the registered agent.

 He bought the house on May 1, 2009.  The above email was dated June 2009.

why?

He barely owned the property for a month.

[Springfielder]

I'm the reason behind his first request for 1528 Walnut to be demolished, was denied. I didn't realize that he had purchased 321 E. 5th. Granted this guy has actually restored a couple houses in the area, but wanting to demolish ones that aren't a safety risk, is completely unacceptable....and Louise's letter is exactly why we've lost so many. Her reign as ED of spar was indeed a cancer within our historical integrity.