245 W 3rd St The Drew House

[Barnaby808]

Does anyone have any info on the history of this House? I think it is one of the most uniquely designed homes in Springfield. and I am borderline obsessed with this house. I was looking at the city records on it and it was last purchased back in 1976, but obviously has been vacant for some time now. Curious if the current owner would consider selling it. It would be a dream come true to buy and restore this house.

[Barnaby808]

Thanks!

[ben says]

Drove by this house about 5 minutes ago, in the rain, right after ArtWalk. Hauntingly beautiful.

Any updates on potential sales/foreclosures/etc?

[Bill Hoff]

Still in foreclosure/lawsuit limbo, I believe. Springfield Chicken may know more. There's been interested buyers.

Also, you can call SHEC (inside the SPAR building, 353-7727) to get some in-depth info/history on it.

[movedsouth]

Last year, I talked to the lawyer representing the owner. The woman who used to live in the house is now living in a nursing home. I am not sure if she is able to make decisions regarding the house. The house is somewhat in limbo, as apparently the bank "won" the foreclosure using fake documents (part of the larger LPS/robo signing mess if you read the news about that). Since then, the house is mostly being "maintained" by neighborhood volunteers. There was one of the second-saturday cleanups that focus on it, and neighbors occasionally mowing the grass and cleaning the porch / boarding some windows.

It is pretty obvious that the house is in dire shape, and needs some help soon. Due to its significance right at one of the entry ways of Springfield, there is a lot of community support to preserve the house, and I would think that the community will rally behind everybody taking on this job.

As Bill said, Springfield Chicken has made attempts to put buyers in touch with the owner, but I think right so far, there was no/little success. Check with her to find out more details.

More of the court documents and such regarding the foreclosure can also be found on the Preservation SOS forum.:
http://forum.preservationsos.org/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=515

[duvalbill]

The property is still in foreclosure, and it doesn't appear that a resolution will soon occur.  There was supposed to be a hearing on the Bank's motion to gain access to the property in March, but it doesn't appear that hearing occurred.  Defense counsel is April Charney, who is known to be difficult to work with as an opposing counsel. 

[WmNussbaum]

Duval Bill, what is the source of your information? Do you know WTF you're talking about? I've always heard that April is a very nice lady and easy to get along with!

[Timkin]

I certainly hope that whatever the issues are that surround this unique and beautiful home, that they are resolved in time to save it.

After all this is Jacksonville...  With the mindset of code enforcement and City management, we lead the world in demolition, whether or not a building has historic significance or not.    The structure shows signs in the block work of sagging.. I presume foundation issues or the ground beneath it or both. Basic building neglect,,IE tiles falling out of place on the roof exposing the structure to large amounts of rain, is not helping.

    I hope it can be saved. It is probably one of my favorite Springfield properties.

[ben says]

Most people who work at JALA are pretty damn nice, with their mind in the right spot...if she's tough, she's tough for a reason, i.e. it's not easy to do foreclosure defense and defend the needy against people with actual money.

[iloveionia]

I have spoken to Miss Charney a number of times.  I believe she is in (in this situation, as that is all I know) a difficult place.  The bank is not budging.   The house is in dire straits and is beloved by many folks in and out of the neighborhood.  A resolve must come soon to save the house.

[Timkin]

I have spoken to Miss Charney a number of times.  I believe she is in (in this situation, as that is all I know) a difficult place.  The bank is not budging.   The house is in dire straits and is beloved by many folks in and out of the neighborhood.  A resolve must come soon to save the house.

I wish WHOEVER would allow a group to go over to the home and at least make the roof shed water.  If that is not taken care of , and very soon at that, there will be nothing left to save .

Foreclosure or not, I cannot imagine a bank "refusing to budge" on a property that is declining and declining in value.

If the lady who owned it is such a state that she cannot make any decisions , this is sad and unfortunate.   Someone ( no idea who has the authority to)  should do something to move this landmark from the brink of being not savable.