1611 Elm St.

Jymi Bolden 1611 Elm St.

Address: 1611 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine

Owner: Northern Liberties Corporation

Year Built: 1875

Value: $20,700

Comments: This historic property was once a house of worship.

It could use a prayer now; it's been declared a public nuisance because of dangerous and unsafe conditions. While inspecting the property, a reporter observed men loitering and overheard a woman talking about how good the dope is on Vine Street.

"I'm trying to get a $30 piece," she said.

Inside the building, the floor at first appears to be covered with thick green shag carpet. But a closer look shows the floor covering is actually thick mold. The ceiling is falling in, electrical wires and pipes are exposed. The rear of the building was heavily damaged by fire. The structure is no longer able to perform its intended function, according to city building inspectors.

The city condemned the structure in January; it has been vacant since 1996. The office of Historic Conservation informed Northern Liberties last summer that, prior to demolition, the company must explain why the property can't be repaired. The owners have until Dec. 11 to comply with orders or the city will demolish the building and bill them.

An employee at Hart Realty, the parent company of Northern Liberties, said the company sold the property in June. But the Hamilton County Auditor's office still shows Northern Liberties as the property owner.

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BLIGHT OF THE WEEK is an effort to highlight the problem of abandoned buildings -- and who's responsible for them.