As mentioned earlier this week in the Preservation Denied: William H. Block Mansion article, we feature the building that replaced that historic mansion as this week’s WTH. This ranch-style cinder block replacement was constructed as a nursing home–what a way to live out your final years, in a place like this. When first built, it was welcomed by neighbors, the philosophy being that anything new is better than nothing. Fast forward 40+ years and the problems with that mindset are revealed. However, it is now empty and has been for almost 10 years.
Perhaps someone could seize the opportunity to redevelop this site.
If people are in such a rage to get out a bulldozer, this is an exception where that scenario would be welcome. This location is desperately in need of something that is more architecturally sensitive to the context of the surrounding neighborhood.
