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Address: 2313 Boone St., Walnut Hills
Owner: William Lewis Alexander, Mabel Alexander, Robin Staples
Year Built: 1910
Value: $14,800
Comments: This tiny house has a strange and complex history. It has been condemned since 2001 and has five owners, two of whom are deceased.
"This house has a cloudy title, a defective deed and the house can't be demolished because there are 27 different parties with a financial interest involved in this house," says Ed Cunningham, supervisor for the city of Cincinnati Department of Buildings and Inspections.
The house apparently has several different liens and mortgages against it, which has prevented the city from tearing it down. Its code violations are lengthy; the roof, siding, steps and gutters have almost completely deteriorated. Building inspectors have declared the house an unsafe public nuisance and an officer from the fire department said the building constitutes a fire hazard because of lack of maintenance and exposure to outside elements.
One of the owners, William Lewis Alexander, appeared at a hearing on the property last December. Since that time neither he nor any of the other owners have complied with building inspectors' repair orders, Cunningham says. On May 26 a demolition hearing will consider whether the city will pay for the cost of the demolition.
BLIGHT OF THE WEEK is an effort to highlight the problem of abandoned buildings — and who's responsible for them.
