Earth-moving equipment is excavating at the northwest corner, where formerly a dwelling of historic significance but in severe disrepair stood. It is across the street from a series of candy-colored new houses.
Summit & Wildt
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Vivienne, that sounds like this property. The city voted to sell a little wedge of right-of-way at its March 19, 2012 meeting so that the owner could build a duplex after demolishing the dilapidated house.
I think the “candy-colored” houses across the way (a little bit west of Wildt) were developed by Tom Fitzsimmons. Also related to that general part of the city, as a neighbor of the Near North project on Main Street (still stalled), Fitzsimmons worked with other residents of the area to try to come up with ways to scale down the proposed design of the Near North project.
What was the historical significance of the structure?
I’m not sure. I remember seeing an article about it – perhaps in the Observer? It was inhabited within the last 10 or 15 years, I believe, but even then was in very bad shape. [.jpg screenshot from Google Street View]
The house that was demolished, next to the tracks, was a stop on the Underground Railroad.