Westwood Historical Society to discuss kit houses

The Westwood Historical Society will be discussing Sears and other kit houses tonight at 7 PM at the Westwood First Presbyterian Church (3011 Harrison Avenue).

Jim Bodle will lead the presentation, which will emphasize examples built in Westwood and in Greater Cincinnati.

Between 1908 and 1940, Sears sold over 100,000 home kits through its catalogs.

The meeting is open to the public.

Further reading:
Sears Archives: What is a Sears Modern Home?
Wikipedia: Sears Catalog Home
Old House Web: Sears Kit Houses

Wrecking Cincinnati, 9/11/07

RIP: 3041 McHenry Ave, Westwood
Two-family

DOB: 1916
Died: August 2007
Cause of death: Junk everywhere and a blight on the community. This is one of several blighted properties that will put Ron Brown in jail for 170 days, which is the remainder of a suspended 180-day sentence he received earlier this year. The house was condemned in March 2006 and was declared a public nuisance last June. It's a shame...it could have been a handsome house. Now it's just another vacant lot.

There are many more Ron Browns out there

Friday's Enquirer had a story about Ron Brown, a 70-year-old Westwood resident who was sentenced to 170 days in jail for not cleaning up his properties.

While this case is a rarity for the housing court, there are many more people like him out there.

Their neighbors certainly know who they are.

The City of Cincinnati currently lists nearly 2,000 properties as either condemned or ordered vacant*, a 12 percent increase over a year ago. This doesn't include the hundreds with litter citations, overgrown lawns, or general repair orders.

It's not atypical for it to take between one and three years between pre-prosecution hearings on a property and the problem's ultimate resolution. It can take even longer if the property changes ownership because a new case has to be started.

I've seen houses that burned down take over a year to be demolished because it had to have a hearing and be put out to bid.

Perhaps the Department of Buildings and Inspections is understaffed.

I would like to compile a database of the City's worst offenders in the hopes of bringing them to light. If anybody has any ideas or submissions, please post them here.

I also invite general talk about derelict properties, slumlords, and the City's response to them.

* This doesn't include the City's numerous derelict properties.

Wrecking Cincinnati, 7/17/07

RIP: 3018 Ahrens Street, Corryville
Single-family

DOB: 1895
Died: June 2007
Cause of death: Failing foundation caused structure to bow, endangering neighboring home. Condemned in 2006. Purchased (for some reason) earlier this year but no repairs were done.

RIP: 4031 Cherry Street, Northside
Single-family

DOB: 1885
Died: June 2007
Cause of death: Bad roof, no windows, missing siding. Condemned since at least 2004. Declared a public nuisance in September 2006. The homeowner was put in a nursing home and was unable to pay for repairs or for demolition.

RIP: 2208 Champlain Street, Westwood
Single-family

DOB: 1935
Died: July 2007
Cause of death: Abandoned. Condemned by the City in 2005.

Family Video coming to Westwood

A Family Video store is coming to the corner of Werk and Glenmore.

Construction will require the demolition of the vacant Humbert's Meats retail structure* and a single-family home built around 1880.

Family Video currently operates over 450 stores in 14 states.

Local stores include College Hill, Fairfield and Hamilton.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW (looking west)
GOOGLE AERIAL MAP

* Humbert's Quality Meats continues to operate at locations in Bridgetown and in Delhi.

Westwood: CiTiRAMA 2007 at Brodbeck Park

In March, Brodbeck Park Phase Two was named as the site of CiTiRAMA 2007, to be held October 6-14.

Since then, the City Planning Commission has approved a finalized Plat of Subdivision for Glaser and Son's 26-lot project.

Two new streets, Deercove Court and an extension of Foxcove Court, have been dedicated. All utility easements have been finalized as well.

Twenty-five of the lots will feature single-family homes on lots of over 5,000 square feet.

The twenty-sixth lot will be a 5-acre greenbelt on a sloping hillside, adjacent to Brodbeck Nature Preserve and the Pine Grove subdivision (Millennium Place).

No price points have been established, but homes in Phase One sold for between $135,000 and $210,000.

Brodbeck Park is located on the northern side of Westwood Northern Blvd between its intersections with Gobel and Ferncroft.

WINDOWS LIVE BIRD'S EYE VIEW
GOOGLE AERIAL MAP


Plat of subdivision - Phase Two at left


Blechhh: Example of home built in Phase One of Brodbeck Park


Another one from Phase One, slightly less horrible

Westwood gallery added

The Westwood gallery has been added at the bottom of this page.

There are currently 24 photos in the gallery.