Update: Some of the buildings in the photo above were demolished in the summer of 2020.

I know for a fact that the one of these houses, either the one on the far left or the one second from right, now trashed was occupied the last time I looked at these houses.? I distinctly remember because a man with groceries came home and asked if we were buying the houses on his block.? We told him no of course, and he demurred when we asked if he had seen what happened to these houses.

One thing is for sure, they are now all unoccupied, being destroyed by the elements and humans, and left in largely the same state for several years.? It seems the brick thieves, came and destroyed one wall, and then left the houses to rot.

Were they scared off, or were they just too lazy to come back?? Or was ruining the house their goal?

The two houses across the street, with the slender triangle of space in between them, have changed very little.

Update: The two houses above and below were rehabbed in 2022.

I am fascinated by the Rubbermaid trash container sitting on the side landing; did someone from inside leave it there, or was it left there before the staircase was torn down?

Building scars allude to the presence of another building at some point next to this beautiful wall of brick.

The sense of desolation on this cold fall morning was palpable.