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3 buildings to look at
12/16/2007 10:36 AM by John M
Three buildings (that are not Oakwood Heights…) that have come up in conversation recently: the languishing renovation at 401 North 27th Street, the boarded up house at 404 North 27th (pictured above), and the new construction house going up at 500/502 North 32nd.
401 North 27th Street
500/502 North 32nd Street
500 Block of N. 32nd is not in an Old & Historic District so there are no guidelines in place for design of the house. They can build pretty much whatever style house they want to there within the limits of the basic zoning laws which are very non-restrictive.
Take a look at the 2800 block of E. Leigh Street and you will see another example of a house being built that looks like what your describing. It was built before we got our O&H in place. It looks like it belongs in Brandermill.
The other properties are in the CHN O&H District.
If there is an issue you have that relates to the Old & Historic District and the enforcement of the guidelines you can contact Tarisa Griffith with the DCD or Tyler Potterfield, Secretary for the CAR. Here’s their contact info:
Tarisa Griffith
804 646 6308 or by email at Tarisa.Griffith@richmondgov.com
Tyler Potterfield
804 646 6364 or by email at Thomas.Potterfield@richmondgov.com
Also, please read the email I received from Saul Gleiser (before he left his position) a few months ago:
“In an effort to respond more efficiently to complaints about work being done without a Certificate of Appropriateness or Building Permit on properties within City Old and Historic Districts the Department of Community Development has assigned Tarisa Griffith as the contact person for such undertakings. You can reach Tarisa at 646 6308. Tarisa will determine if a complaint is valid by checking all records and making a site visit. If it is determined that the work performed indeed constitutes a violation of the Zoning Ordinance the visit will be followed by a Violation Notice and/or when appropriate a Stop Work Order (the later will be issued by a Building Inspector).
Please share this information with your neighbors and associations. I hope the new process will have positive results and in the long run will also help reduce the amount of violations.
Thank you for your cooperation.”
Saul Gleiser D., Secretary
Commission of Architectural Review
There is another “out of place” house that is just being finished up on the 600 block of 30th. But really, there are a number of blocks over this way(I’m on the 600 block of 31st) that just need some attention, historically accurate or not. I’d much rather have a few Brandmill looking homes than just empty lots all over the place.
The picture for the 500/502 N. 32nd St. home is actually three lots — 500, 502 and 504. The home appears to built across two lots. 504 (to the right) is owned by a different person, but that didn’t stop the construction crew working on 500/502 from putting a port-a-potty there (just out of frame toward the back right).
I believe (if I am thinking of the right building) that old laundry is a very old structure – 1820s or so. The rear wall has fallen down. It’s so sad to see. Can HRF or ACORN help out on something so old?
Isn’t 401 N 27th St. something like the oldest remaining commercial structure in the city?
It’s really ashamed that the building’s renovation appeared to stop after the demolation stage.
that’s demolition…….
I was glad to see something going up on the corner of 32nd and Clay ’til I realized it wasn’t going to look anything like the rest of the neighborhood. How can the owners/builders not notice that very obvious bit?
The former laundromat on 27th Street is now condemned. There’s an orange sign on the front door, and I think a corner of it’s just barely visible in the photo, above. Here comes another demolition, unless someone does something real soon.
C – post #7 – I’d say the owners/ builders don’t care and probably think they’re doing something good. Now it’ll sit vacant for a year or so.
Celeste, I live on 27th and had not noticed the condemned sign until you mentioned it in the photo. The owners were feverishly working on it a few months ago – we figured someone had complained about it just sitting there. all of those buildings on the “four corners” – so much history there and they are just falling apart – what a shame.
Instead of complaining about the laundry mat why not come up with solutions and help the owner out. I know that the owner is not made of money and has been working on the property awhile. Its very sad when the same people complaining are the people who need to fix up their own house. Everyone knows that it takes time and money for great things to happen. It seems that everyone in Church hill either wants to point other peoples problems and do not want to take care of thier own.
Unless your front porch is not falling down. Paint chips laying along the house and windows fixed in your own home then maybe people can point the finger but until then people need to worry about thier own home and not whats happening in other spots in church hill.
I will be sending a list out next week of all the houses that need repair in Chruch Hill. I will be listing code violations as well as what is wrong with the structure from appearence. I will be pulling property owners names and who needs to fix what on thier own house.
I am not going to sit back in church hill anymore. I will be covering every block from 22nd to 36th street in Church Hill with others and I will have the list posted on here as well. What a way to start the new year……
Joy,
I don’t know the owner of the laundromat or their history or their intent with the building so this observation is in no way personal. The point of much of the commentary isn’t that the neighborhood is otherwise perfect, but simply that it is a shame that such an interesting and historic building sits slowly collapsing.
From your wounded tone, it seems that you might have a personal connection here. If so, can you share more about what is going on with the building?
Oh, give me a freaking break, Joy. I can appreciate that it can take a while to get a renovation done and that sometimes money is tight. But, that building has sat in essentially the same state of demolition for about a year (maybe more, I don’t keep a calendar on such things). If you can’t afford to finish a renovation, don’t start. Rather than merely having a dilapidated eyesore on a highly visible corner lot, now we have a dangerous, dilapidated, fenced-off eyesore that looks to be one step away from being comndemned. Frankly, I’m amazed that the community has been as understanding as they have been about this property for so long.
I’m on pins and needles to see what’s wrong with my place. (I have my own list, but it will be interesting to compare with yours.)
ACORN could help. When the Peay House was condemned they were able to broker a sale to a new owner for fair market value who then restored it and won awards for doing so. 27th Street laundry should NOT be demolished. There is too much Richmond history in its walls.
Joy,
I very much agree with you: it’s not fair to complain that restorations are not going fast enough, when we all know how time consuming and expensive they can be, especially if you want things done well. As you said, making great things happen takes time, and most home owners up here “are not made of money”: I know, because I’m one of them.
But I have to ask you: how does making a list of the houses that need repairs “help the owners”? There are, undoubtedly, some owners who don’t care and are just letting their property fall down. Maybe reporting them to the city will get them to act. Unfortunately, filing a complaint with the city will also hurt everyone else who truly wants to restore their house, but need to take it in stages because of cost. Putting the city on these people’s backs is not going to help them find money quicker, but it sure is aggravating.
Some kind, concerned citizen found it helpful to cite my property last week because there is peeling paint on my porch and a column needs to be replaced. But they failed to notice that we’ve spent close to $200K making extensive structural and interior renovations to a house that NO ONE wanted to buy, and would have been turned into condos had we not come along. What a slap in the face. For the first time since we moved to Church Hill, I started wondering if this was worth it, and why we didn’t just let the place become condos.
So I urge you, and everyone else on this post who is quick to judge and criticize, please take a minute to think about the consequences of your actions. They may do more harm than good to both your neighbors and the neighborhood.
Geez,Joy. Considering there are so far only 15 posts to this particular blog, I find it absurd that you make such a generalization that EVERYONE is complaining when we all need to work on our own houses. I simply came out here to read up on the neighborhood happenings and find that I will be attacked by you in the New Year. Everyone of us that have renovated in CH is well aware of what needs to be done to our own houses. And yes, it’s always a matter of money. Not all of us bought when the prices went up to $300-400K, many of us bought way before then and money is sometimes tight. I’m quite sure if I had the money I could fix the shitty paint job I got a mere 4 years ago or put new flooring on my porch or tuck point my brick foundation. How rude and un-neighborly of you to go around trying to embarrass people publicly and worse, reporting to the city. How is that going to get anything done faster? That fine someone just paid b/c of you could have been put towards their upkeep/renovation but now you’ve just set them back. Way to go JOY. Maybe you’re the one tattletelling on Nathalie. Stay the hell off my block, neighbor. Merry Christmas.
“Instead of complaining about the laundry mat why not come up with solutions and help the owner out”
How about starting with closing in the windows to keep the elements out? Secure the building so the god awful fence is not required. These alone are cheap and should take maybe a weekend, not a year.
Slap a coat of paint on it.
“Its very sad when the same people complaining are the people who need to fix up their own house” True.. but do they look like this? Are they a condemned fenced-in eyesore?
Would you be happy with this sitting next door for a year?
Oh, and by the way, this is not one of those situations where some unfortunate resident can’t scrap together money to fix up their house. This is a commercial property that is not occupied and doesn’t look like it’s been occupied in my 7 years here. This is an investment property. If the owners couldn’t afford to fix it up, they shouldn’t have bought it. I don’t feel the least bit bad about expecting them to do something with it in less than a year and a half.
While I believe it is a great thing to have houses and other structures restored and the historic integrity of the neighborhood preserved, it is equally important that the spirit of the neighborhood and fellow neighbors also be respected.
The practice of anonymously riding around the neighborhood reporting chipping paint and other minor maintenance issues, or perceived city violations is just not neighborly. While it might help preserve the structures in the area, it destroys the true fabric of the neighborhood.
In the past month I have heard several stories of anonymous tipsters making inaccurate accusations of homeowners that were doing their best to maintain their properties. This type of behavior tends to pit neighbor against neighbor and diminishes what most of us love the most about our neighborhood – our neighbors.
I do believe that the City should be made aware of major problems and violations with vacant, abandoned and dillapidated buildings, however, some sensitivity should be used when dealing with homeowners and neighbors that are doing their best to maintain a property or are in the process of renovating a structure.
Can you preserve the historic and architectural integrity of a neighborhood and also save the true essense of the neighborhood? I believe you can.
Joy,
I don’t think you appreciate the community of Church Hill. At least, you don’t seem sound like it. Perhaps you should move to another more “perfect” area of the city. You are no neighbor of mine.
I have pitchforks, torches and sharpened sticks for sale. 😉
It’s a bit funny how having a common enemy has made us sound more neighborly…
and here I thought she was joking?!?
Archie – I agree with your post #17. I just looked up the ownership. It sold Jan. 5, 2004 from Charlie Johnson to someone in Washington D.C. named Patrick Murray. He also owns 2702 through 2708 East Marshall, they all come up when you do a search for 401. So it’s not even owned by someone local. Whether he’s hard up for money to finish whatever he’s doing in tearing it down, I have no idea, but it sure looks like it’s being torn down slowly, brick by brick. I wouldn’t want to live near it.
Karen, I just noticed the condemned sign in the last couple of days – I think it just went up recently. I could be wrong though on that one. I have not looked to see if he had a building or demolition permit for what went on sporatically these last months or year or so.
Joy’s list reminds me of the anonymous nasty letters that were circulated a few years ago and caused the pink flamingos to be planted by sympathetic people in protest. I don’t have any problem with reporting building code violations that are an imminent danger to public safety, nor work being done without a building permit which could lead to a safety issue, but I’d be careful about reporting someone’s porch as needing painting. That’s not a safety issue, it’s a personal vendetta, in my book.
“Joy” What an inappropriate name for “judge, jury and executioner”
Oops. Egg on my face. I didn’t click the link above posted by John M when he posted the three house pics. It took me to a yahoo groups posting as follows:
“This property I have been following up on and received a response as to where they are standing with it through the city. Here is the reply:
Reference to 401 N 27th Street, a site meeting took place on 12-13-07 with the owner, Building Commissioner and city engineer, it was discussed the condition and lack of performance by owner, and the need for additional engineering plans and evaluations, the original Notice of Violation was amended and owner has until Dec 26th to submit revised engineer plans and upon review by city plans examiners and there approval, work to start shortly after that date. Owners failure to comply will result in legal action taken against him.
I also reminded them about 404 N 27th Street. This property has about $7,000 worth of back taxes owed and a Notice of Intent for Tax Sale was sent to the owner(s) this past August. Previous code violations have still been ignored and noticed vagrants have recently been in the house. The porch is now collapsing and you can’t even get to it because of the shrubs and brush growing wild for the past 10 years. I will post more about this one as I get more information.
Eric Huffstutler
James Butcher
407 N 27th Street”
Anyone want to place bets on whether work starts “shortly after” Dec. 26? Vegas sets the line at 8-1 against.
Well when moving here I expected some eccentricities… a nut inspecting all the houses in the neighborhood for code violations? priceless!
“I have pitchforks, torches and sharpened sticks for sale. ;-)” Mike B, are the wild dogs back?
Joy, your comment reads like a threat. Just be careful in what you post.
Hmmmm. Joy’s proposed tactics are somewhat interesting. Maybe a bit overzealous…but, no less, interesting if just for the passion alone. Sometimes public “recognition” is just what is required to get a job done. I’ve been long baffled by the level of complacency Church Hill residents have had with tolerating outrageous violations and neglected properties. And we all know, the City has been ridiculously lax with enforcement…hopefully things are slowly changing. As we saw a few years back during the flamingo blitz, some of the recipients of those letters did take action to address those very concerns. Porches got painted, fences were fixed, trash was removed and feelings were hurt.
I do think that anger sometimes inspires action…hopefully positive. There are numerous examples of buildings where the neighborhood should not accept inaction from the property owner. This is especially true of an investment property like 401 N. 27th, the “theater” next to the Post Office and the “Church Hill Market” on Broad Street. These messes were all created by ill-conceived business plans yet the neighborhood is left to deal with the tattered remains of these terrible decisions. The neighborhood needs to hold these property owners accountable. What is a fair timeframe for a property owner to get their act together and stop burdening the neighborhood? Some prior posts have mentioned that a year was too long! The “theatre” and the “market” have been going on for years now. And those neighbors have had to deal with the impact of those eyesores on their property values and quality of life. If the exterior of a structure cannot be maintained to code, how long is long enough for the City to force the issue?
I certainly can sympathize with the owner-occupied properties that may not have the resources to improve their property. But, investors should not be given a pass to hold onto a public nuisance with no accountability.
So Joy, some anger may go a long way to instigate some change. However, a clearly focussed target may provide more bang for the buck. But, a little paint and some general cleanup is pretty inexpensive and goes a long way to enhance the neighborhood.
I just want to stress that there is a huge difference between someone who is slowly working to fix up their own home on top of working a full-time job and someone who buys multiple investment properties and holds on to them, hoping they will go up in value, while doing just enough repairs to keep the building from falling down or drawing fines.
I live on 27th. “4 Corners Charlie” still owns two of them I think. According to vacantrichmond’s website, one former laundromat corner (325 N 27th) is owned by Sandra Murray, who has a Richmond address, and she also owns a few buildings on the Marshall block behind it (between 27th/28th). Quite a coincidence that she has the same last name as Patrick Murray, who owns 401 as well as the buildings behind HIS former laundromat. Who ARE these mini-moguls of E. Marshall St.?
401 sat untouched for at least a year after the sale. The fence went up in early/mid 2006 (the posted permits are from summer 2006 and are for demolition to determine the structural integrity or something like that; they are not for any other work). I catch the bus there and a few months ago sent a request through the city’s website for the weeds to be trimmed/trash cleared. They processed the request as complete, but it wasn’t, so I sent another one in and actually got a phone call from someone following up, the day after they finally cut the weeds. I told her the sidewalk was clear but asked what was going on with the building, since there were damaged supercans and bricks and debris inside the fence, and I’d seen no real activity all year. Just last week, the bricks and trash went away, and the address and orange no trespassing sign got posted, so that’s some progress. Good to read that other neighbors have been active and that now the owner has a deadline for moving ahead.
From what I’ve heard ever since we moved to the block almost 10 years ago, 404 was inherited by a large group of siblings and not everyone will agree to sell. Someone painted it 7 or 8 years ago, but that’s the last activity (other than raccoons) I recall seeing over there.
They are putting up brick on the front of 500 N. 32nd St. now. Just the front. And yes it is on a corner lot. They also put in an amazingly ugly oval-windowed white front door with brass trim. They also added a third split in the gable (do these things have a technical term?).
Every modern design technique I have ridiculed over the years is being used on this house.
I question if they will ever be able to sell that thing. I’m almost hoping a homeless person will eventually move in and catch it on fire.
Concerning posting from NOB neighbor – Sandra Murray and Patrick Murray are siblings.
j-
I saw the door last night, but they had not yet started the brick, and thought the same thing. However, I could tell it was going to be similar to the house on Leigh Street, and will most certainly stick out like a sore thumb.
C – the brick has been going up for a couple of days. It might not have been obvious if you went by at night. They worked yesterday (Saturday) and today (Sunday) until the rain started. One would think they had a deadline to meet, working weekends like that.
Where’s the house on Leigh Street? Just curious.
The ugly doors ought to be outlawed. Actually they are in an O&H district but there are some in the St. John’s O&H so apparently CAR isn’t enforcing anything there. Check out the 3000 block of Broad St., north side of the street – I can’t remember the exact address but it’s maybe 3018 or 3020, has a seriously ugly door now and the long windows have been replaced with short, vinyl clad ones, the area under them filled in with plywood….it’s a real shame, had potential to be a nice house until someone with no sense started ruining it. Hope I don’t get flamed for this last paragraph.
John M., can you update just the photo of the house on 32nd Street without changing this entire thread? Not being a web designer, I’ve no clue, but if it’s possible, you might try a shot from standing on the SE corner of Clay and 32nd, possibly to include part of the house next to the vacant lot, and the weird roof treatment on the new infill thingie. If not possible, well I had to ask and thanks anyway for all you do!
You’re right, I probably didn’t notice since I was mainly focusing on the overall style of the house, the triple gable and ugly front door, all sitting on the very front of the property like someone shoved it there. That and I went by at 10:30pm, :).
The house next to this new wonder got a facelift and looks tremendously better. I am excited about that change and am curious about what finally got them moving along.
C- “The house next to this new wonder got a facelift and looks tremendously better. I am excited about that change and am curious about what finally got them moving along.”
HUH? What house next to it are you talking about?
I see someone cross posted a comment I made on a Church Hill Yahoo forum so will respond here too. NOB – do I know you? 🙂
I am the one that set the fire under city and Patrick Murray to do something with 401 N 27th. I have been in regular contact with all of the zone and code commissioners as well as inspectors handling this case and know they have a book of violations for that building going years past. The Laundromat was closed due to violations then Charlie Johnson sold 3 of the 4 corners to the same family but Sandra Murray’s brother Patrick lives in DC and only has 401 while she lives in Church Hill and has the other two (also now abandonded).
The 401 N 27th building was built in 1815 by Capt Charles Wills and was one of the original grocery stores in the city and yes, the oldest business building in the city. He also built our house in 1812 (407 N 27th) and his daughter built 405 N 27th in 1835 which was recently lovingly restored and for sale. The city gave Murray an ultimatum to get the building stabilized or go to court and new engineering plans were approved this week and stabilization took place this morning. Phase II is still in the works but believe a building that was constructed of deteriorating bricks almost 200 years old, will take someone with deep pockets to reconstruct and he should have known that prior to gutting then leaving it open to the elements to fall apart.
404 N 27th is owned by a group of siblings and not all want to sell out so it has sat vacant for about 10 years and now falling apart. Vagrants often find lodging there and that in itself is dangerous. There are back taxes owed and a letter of Intent for Tax sales was sent this August and code violations were posted and was to have been fixed by the owner nearly a year ago but nothing was done. It is now posted Condemned and a shame sitting between two restored homes. That is another project I am working on trying to get moving.
Eric Huffstutler
“I will be sending a list out next week of all the houses that need repair in Chruch Hill.”
Hey, where’s the list?
Bringing this thread back to the top as I have updated information about 404 N 27th (the abandoned house).
With help of a neighbor supplying documents for the owner(s), counsel with an attorney I work with, and going through chain of command from Director of Real Estate and eventually to the City Attorney, I was able to work with them to FINALLY get this house on the auction block for this summer! Now all we can hope is that who ever purchases it will restore the house like those flanking it and not simply make it inhabitable.
Eric Huffstutler
Latest on the house at 404 N 27th.
The auction was postponed a little so won’t be until this fall but it is still going for tax sale. Whoever buys it only has 18 months to turn it around.
In the mean time the city has cited Abate Violation 38-154 (c) and is getting ready to at least cut down the grass, wild small trees and shrubs that have blocked the path to the porch for the past 10 years.
Eric
Joy, will you marry me?
House of Paine… Huh???
Odd place for a proposal especially on a thread that has been dead for nearly a year.
While I am here you will note the house with bright yellow and black trim (we call the Bumble Bee House) behind the jungle in the first picture (404 N 27th). It was sold through tax aution a while back and the new owners John and Elaine Odell will be starting restoration as soon as everything is finalized which will hopefully be this Monday! YEAH!!!
Eric
Sorry I was drunk, and it was a joke
Take a pill buddddddy 😀
It was a joke brah.. take it eassssy
Side note: John and Elaine are really nice people and they are working really hard to restore the house 🙂
House, no problem. Just thought maybe it was posted in error why I said that.
I know they are working hard on it and excited to watch the progress. They have to wait until permits can be approved and plans approved before doing the physical work which may be in March but have hauled off at least 5 construction dumpsters full of furniture and trash left inside the house. A lot of preliminary work but at least now they can see what is ahead of them.
Eric