Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

Buck_Thorn t1_jbqtavr wrote

https://www.twincities.com/2023/02/15/st-paul-historic-justus-ramsey-house-disassembled/

I fully realize that 170 year old building is nothing in much of the world, but here it is the beginning of our history. Sad. At least they are preserving the building, but it just isn't the same when the context has changed. And for what? Hamburgers. Hamburgers and beer.

196

hatersaurusrex t1_jbr71z6 wrote

Since Nashville exploded recently, developers have been falling over themselves trying to build Tall&Skinnies on every square inch of space they can.

A few years back, they started demolishing historic studios on Music Row to build apartment buildings, and it took a concerted historical preservation effort to keep them from basically levelling the place and building apartments on its corpse - which then ironically would be marketed as 'Historic Music Row Apartments'

https://www.historicnashvilleinc.org/get-involved/save-music-row/

139

1337duck t1_jbrt0n1 wrote

> Tall&Skinnies

That seems to be the name of the game everywhere. Those townhouses look like shit.

49

aLittleQueer t1_jbs4873 wrote

Their floor-plans are shit, too. Plenty of square-footage, but no actual floor space b/c that footage is divided between 3 levels and full of stairwells. ie - 1200 sq/ft with no room for furniture. But hey, at least they have the curb appeal of medieval tenements. Who wouldn't want in on that?^/s

60

1337duck t1_jbs4j8p wrote

Also, stairs count for sqft for 2 floors! So you actually have less space than you even thought!

27

danielv123 t1_jbuichc wrote

Wait what? That makes no sense! If anything, they shouldn't count for either floor!

2

1337duck t1_jbujorn wrote

That's what multiple real estate agents told me.

It's possible they are all lying.

According to google search of "does stairs count to sqft"

> Stairs: Runs/treads and landings both count in square footage totals. They are measured as a part of the floor “from which they descend,” so are generally counted twice in a typical two-story home with a basement.

3

jimicus t1_jbtodyb wrote

My wife fell for that one in our house right now. The open plan layout downstairs means we have plenty of square footage, but the living room is also a corridor to the kitchen and we have little wall space to put furniture against or hang pictures.

8

aLittleQueer t1_jbu4aat wrote

I'm so sorry. My ex almost pulled me into one of those, as well...until I asked him, "Okay, so where do we put the piano?" I play professionally, so it's non-negotiable. Even with literally the smallest acoustic spinet piano ever built, smaller than an average buffet side-board, there still was no place to put it. Where are you supposed to put a sofa or a table & chairs in a space like that??

Oh also, similar to what you have, in the one he wanted the "kitchen" was a corridor to the living room. Literally - front door/main entrance fed into the kitchen. Like it was designed by someone who's never spent time in a house before. In fact, that kitchen had definite afterthought vibes. ("Is it a pantry or a coat closet?" Realtor: "Y-yes?") The one thing that property did have going for it was plenty of gallery walls, since it was three levels and all vertical space. Perfect for an art collector who isn't going to actually live there. Smh.

4

jimicus t1_jbudhv2 wrote

The really aggravating thing is, we've lived in a house where a room doubled up as a corridor before. We knew damn well it didn't work.

But there aren't a great many houses in this town and they're almost all built to one of a couple of designs, all of which have this problem.

3

firebat45 t1_jbu7ow9 wrote

Skinny homes are just mobile homes cut in half and stacked. With the added benefit of losing floorspace to stairs.

3

Buck_Thorn t1_jbrc0x6 wrote

That's sad. Lots of fame and lots of failures came out of those buildings!

15

Siege40k t1_jbths1j wrote

I work with the company who does most of this preservation work. They’re trying to stop unfettered development destroying historical buildings.

I will say. The parks service in the us does not mess about if you destroy a federally registered building.

7

Sophisticated_T-Rex t1_jbrtpit wrote

You should tell them congratulations!

Their NIMBY-ing successfully prevented new housing units from being constructed and entering the market, further exacerbating the housing crisis!

−32

hatersaurusrex t1_jbruo63 wrote

Yes, let's all weep over the sore lack of available 500sqft $2M condos in a city full of 500sqft $2M condos

27

Sophisticated_T-Rex t1_jbrvd4p wrote

"New housing shouldn't be built because it won't cater to me!"

Living up to your name, hatersaurusrex

−40

hatersaurusrex t1_jbrvkzt wrote

Won't somebody please think of the millionaires?

19

Sophisticated_T-Rex t1_jbrw4h4 wrote

Hey genius, guess what:

The cost of housing is based off of supply and demand. Right now there's an assload of demand and no supply. You know what will happen if you let them continue building their 500sqft condos instead of kicking and cryinf about new development like a five year old? Eventually, the supply will grow to a point where it equalizes with demand and gasp prices will drop!

−37

Takenabe t1_jbrxj7t wrote

Fellas, please. This dino on dino violence has to end.

23

TwentySevenNihilists t1_jbsfz7g wrote

You're higoddamnlarious. Housing costs are never going to significantly drop in a US metro area unless the city is abandoned.

Everyone's answer to the housing crisis is to build more housing, but I don't hear a lot about where that housing is going to go. Try to put it in any city's historic district, and your are not going to get affordable housing for normal people.

You want affordable housing where I live, you have to move way the fuck out of the city (or start collecting roommates). Once you find affordable rent, your transportation costs have sky-rocketed.

The old "supply and demand" mantra isn't holding up so well after 2.5 centuries. They didn't have Airbnb, Berkshire Hathaway, or rent optimizing algorithms in 1776.

18

Mikeavelli t1_jbrq2c4 wrote

On the other hand, sometimes these laws are used for ridiculous or corrupt reasons.

22

Gingeraffe42 t1_jbtscj1 wrote

Yeah literally all of CA is in a housing crisis because of old rich folks abusing housing laws to the fullest extent possible

3

Zambito t1_jbtq9xk wrote

Well that was an infuriating read. "We want the real estate this historic building is on, also we want the historic building as a second home down the road. Oh, and the city should help pay for this. We're such gracious conservators!"

3

j-trinity t1_jbtnvle wrote

This is honestly insane considering here in the UK in my literal back garden is a 16th century “wall” that we’re not allowed to get rid of. It’s nothing much at all and isn’t even a full wall, just a foot long bunch of rocks packed together. It’s not even in a part of the UK that’s known for tourism from history fans.

−1

MustLoveAllCats t1_jbreczd wrote

It's just an old house. I can fully appreciate many historical landmarks, but when it's just an old house like this? Eh. Not sad at all to me.

−32

Buck_Thorn t1_jbreo3h wrote

It is the oldest house still standing. It is a touchstone to our past. Maybe you can't appreciate it, but some of us do.

30

Lendyman t1_jbrn6oc wrote

Especially since Minneapolis has destroyed many of her historic buildings already.

11