This is a house on Ustick Road that I've always found to be charming in an architectural sense - and inside used to be charming, too - an antiques store. But as Ustick has been changed into a multi-lane commuter route, the house has been changed, too. It was sold to a man who runs halfway-type houses for men who have addiction problems of all types. The white picket fence has toppled over, the gazebos on the property have been trashed, the once-beautiful yard has grown wild, and there are junked-out cars and men in tattered clothes always in front. I know these types of houses have social goals that are admired, but I'm not an admirer of that goal in this location. I hope that when the housing market recovers, the owner will want to cash in and sell - and maybe someone with more money than me will come to the house's rescue. It could be a cute bed and breakfast. Or a gathering house - one rented for events and weddings.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Charming Victorian House Not So Charming Anymore
This is a house on Ustick Road that I've always found to be charming in an architectural sense - and inside used to be charming, too - an antiques store. But as Ustick has been changed into a multi-lane commuter route, the house has been changed, too. It was sold to a man who runs halfway-type houses for men who have addiction problems of all types. The white picket fence has toppled over, the gazebos on the property have been trashed, the once-beautiful yard has grown wild, and there are junked-out cars and men in tattered clothes always in front. I know these types of houses have social goals that are admired, but I'm not an admirer of that goal in this location. I hope that when the housing market recovers, the owner will want to cash in and sell - and maybe someone with more money than me will come to the house's rescue. It could be a cute bed and breakfast. Or a gathering house - one rented for events and weddings.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Gosh this would be a shame to allow the property and the investment in it to be reduced to trash and rubble for any reason. It makes sense to have a house for wayward fellows but none to me to allow them to ruin the place.
ReplyDeleteI dont think the people who stay there should make a difference in the upkeep of the house. There should be house rules and they should be kept, or you find another halfway house. I think the responsiblity falls on the shoulders of the property owner. Are there any city codes that he is in violation of?
ReplyDeleteHi Abraham - well, there are no laws against running the property down, so it's happening. Neighbors have complained and asked for city rules - but nothing so far.
ReplyDeleteHi Jim - we've seen an explosion of these types of homes in Boise over the past two years - and there is no law to govern them. They have kind of taken people by surprise - popping up in nice neighborhoods. It's a profitable business - the owners rent out the rooms for a high price and it helps those making transitions meet their personal legal requirements. Neighbors complain that they aren't even warned when one opens up.
ReplyDeleteMy great-grandpa built this house and I loved to go visit when it was an antique shop... I was so sad when I found out what has happened to it. I astually had a friend's brother live there and she said the inside is worse than the outside.
ReplyDelete