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Address: 38 Clinton Springs Ave., North Avondale
Owner: Emanuel H. Watson Jr. of Cincinnati
Value: $91,500 in 2001
Year Built: 1900
Comments: The city of Cincinnati hasn’t heard from this building’s owner since August 2000, when it was reported “vacant and open.”
Condemned that month after a fire, the building has been found in an “open” condition more than once since then. It was boarded up at city expense in October 2000.
The cost to taxpayers continues to rise. The owner has racked up an unpaid property tax bill of $9,060, including penalties, as well as uncollected civil fines and costs to the city.
Soon the city will cough up the price of an end to the problem. The 12-room dwelling is one of about 90 buildings the city is contracting for demolition, according to the Department of Buildings and Inspections.
Once a contractor receives notice to proceed and obtains permits, the building can be taken down, usually within about four weeks.
Plywood barricading the front door was recently askew, and evidence of what might be occupancy was visible from the street.The social cost to the neighborhood is another matter, not easily converted to dollars.
This article appears in Jun 12-18, 2002.