We have a serious problem in this city with the growing obsolescence of buildings built in the mid-Twentieth Century urban renewal building boom. Built on blocks that once made up the former Mill Creek neighborhood, Heritage House is one such place. Perhaps you saw it in the news where all of the elderly tenants had to be moved out earlier this winter due to flooding; on January 24, it was announced the building may be vacant for up to a year for repairs (this is the second senior facility I know with this fate) and comes on the heels of the closure of Northview Village in December. It will only get worse; there are so many of these buildings hiding in plain sight. I’ve been inside one of the apartments; it reminded me of those depressing places that are ubiquitous around the country that were all slapped up by the hundreds of thousands in the 1950s and 60s. Built for $4,000,000 in 1969 and also one of the first examples of a building to receive a tax abatement of fifteen years to originally house retired teachers, it is now at that infamous age of around fifty years where it will require huge capital improvements.

Did I mention that it’s ugly? That is very much a germane issue, as it precludes redevelopment by new investors who would be interested in swooping in and making the needed upgrades. It’s much easier, based off current laws and lending practices, to just start anew. And the people left behind suffer.