Paul McKee’s crimes are hidden during the summer more, when the giant volunteer trees and underbrush grow lush and green, concealing houses that have collapsed years ago. You see, up this way, nothing ever gets cleaned up. Here is the same ruin in the winter; I remember when the house still had brick walls…
Heading west on Hebert, the street grid shifts, and a another avenue comes in where a gas station sits.
Update: The building below was demolished by January of 2019 (second photo).
Crossing over Glasgow Avenue, the housing stock is a couple of decades years newer, but sadly most of these elegant four-family buildings are abandoned and trashed.
This one is still in good condition, but it is the only one on the south side of the block that is still occupied, sandwiched in between abandonment.
.
And finally, the remnants of what a grand boulevard that North Grand Boulevard must have been remains at the corner of Hebert in this dark tan brick corner building.
The commercial building in the bottom picture was owned by the LRA a few years ago. They wanted a small fortune for it (somewhere near $200,000 if I remember correctly), which I thought was ridiculous for a three-story building with, basically, no third floor due to roof deterioration. It is still quite a striking building, and hopefully it will be preserved; I just am not sure how that will be accomplished as things stand at the moment.
That is very steep for that stretch of Grand.
I thought so as well. The price had something to do with the building’s appraised value and the LRA’s pricing policy for commercial buildings. Though, you would think any appraisal would show the building to be nearly worthless considering its condition. A single-family house in the same condition would only be a few thousand (and not much more for a two- or four-family, either).