Luster House

[warreng88]

I was looking around on Zillow.com and it appears the Melvin Luster home is going into pre-foreclosure/auction. Here is the zillow listing:

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/30...80913637_zpid/

I looked the county assessor's website and it looks like taxes haven't been paid on the property since 2009.

http://www.oklahomacounty.org/treasu...tyID=020022700

Anybody have anymore information about this?

[warreng88]

No, but I've been wanting that house forever. Hmmmm......

I am curious how much works needs to go into it.

[CaptDave]

I am curious how much works needs to go into it.

Same here - electrical and plumbing alone could be a bear. But what a nice house if it can be had for the estimated value. Either way, someone is going be get a nice house in an excellent location for next to nothing I bet.

[no1cub17]

anyone want to share a pic? I know, I could just go to Google Streetview...

[Pete]

[warreng88]

anyone want to share a pic? I know, I could just go to Google Streetview...

And what is shown on google streetview six years ago is basically what it looks like now. Usually something like this wouldn't be a big deal, but it has been owned by the family since 1911 and is where the most development in the city's urban core is happening right now. I would assume it would be a personal home, but I guess it could be apartments. I think the house directly to the east of it is included in the sale. I am curious is the building behind it is included as well. All three buildings for one price would be a good deal. Fix them all up, live in the big one, parcel off the one to the east, lease the storefront space.

[HangryHippo]

Strange, I had no idea this even existed here. Could be a really beautiful home if fixed up properly.

[OKCisOK4me]

I've driven by that property many a times when I've come downtown to take pictures. I hope someone with historical preservation interests can snatch it up for a good price and remodel it or build it out for apartments. That would be awesome!

[PhiAlpha]

I generally hate it when people convert historic single family houses into multifamily, especially in historic districts like HH, Mesta, Gatewood, Crowne, etc. There are some houses across the street from me that have been converted back in the 50s and haven't been taken care of worth a crap, which is a common theme around here with converted multifamily housing. Though in an area like deep deuce where most of the residences are multi-family buildings, I think it would probably work a lot better and be better taken care of. Having said that, people are starting to build massive single family homes down there, so it could work either way.

[Martin]

more info on the property: Vintage Oklahoma City - Melvin Luster Home -M

[Rover]

Would be a great ambiance for a very high end restaurant with private dining upstairs.

[warreng88]

Would be a great ambiance for a very high end restaurant with private dining upstairs.

Tuck, are you listening?

[warreng88]

That building to the south would be a great place for a new Market C...

[PhiAlpha]

Its former structure has nothing to do with how well it will be cared for. I assure you, if I owned it, it's not falling into disrepair. I suspect your experience has more to do with the land values where you were seeing this -- which is the driving force behind maintenance. The higher the values the more rent they can charge. The higher the rent in most markets, the higher the expectations.

Anyway, I appreciate your opinion but think you've seen some things and have drawn the wrong conclusion. I love old, large homes turned into multi-family. Great use of land and usually creates nice diversity in the lease market. Diversity that really helps to raise up an area.

It can be done right, but in several instances within Mesta Park and Heritage Hills (much more Mesta Park), including across the street from my house on 17th, it hasn't been. They haven't been well maintained, lawns are frequently in poor shape, and land values are pretty high here. Like I said, the concept would probably fit better in deep deuce where multi-family housing is the norm. Here the problems are more likely a case of poor ownership, which obviously wouldn't be the case in deep deuce. It just seems like the more rundown or poorly maintained properties here are converted houses or century old apartment buildings.

[HangryHippo]

It can be done right, but in several instances within Mesta Park and Heritage Hills (much more Mesta Park), including across the street from my house on 17th, it hasn't been. They haven't been well maintained, lawns are frequently in poor shape, and land values are pretty high here. Like I said, the concept would probably fit better in deep deuce where multi-family housing is the norm. Here the problems are more likely a case of poor ownership, which obviously wouldn't be the case in deep deuce. It just seems like the more rundown or poorly maintained properties here are converted houses or century old apartment buildings.

I agree completely with you. It's just not been done will in several cases and I've soured on the idea. Rather see it as something else.

[dankrutka]

Deep Deuce Apartments have had a terrible reputation for years. They've been able to get away with it due to lack of competition. We'll see of that continues...

[betts]

I know the Deep Deuce apartments are supposedly remodeling all the units. I'd like to see them put one building up for sale and see what happens.

[Spartan]

Its former structure has nothing to do with how well it will be cared for. I assure you, if I owned it, it's not falling into disrepair. I suspect your experience has more to do with the land values where you were seeing this -- which is the driving force behind maintenance. The higher the values the more rent they can charge. The higher the rent in most markets, the higher the expectations.

Anyway, I appreciate your opinion but think you've seen some things and have drawn the wrong conclusion. I love old, large homes turned into multi-family. Great use of land and usually creates nice diversity in the lease market. Diversity that really helps to raise up an area.

This concept is very misunderstood all over, here in Ohio they're generally called doubles or quads and the nomenclature is a sign of how common they are, yet many people who themselves are in the housing and community development profession have no inkling.

I went to a big housing trends conference in town recently (a yearly conference usually devoted to fighting the foreclosure crisis which is an epidemic here) but they were mostly talking about some newer, nice suburbs that are starting to go rental (where most of these people live). I spoke up and just mentioned, in case they didn't realize, that Lakewood and Cleveland Heights (by all accounts very nice inner ring suburbs that everyone loves) are about 90% rental. The room went silent. Someone then asked how that could be, those places are nice... lol

I've come to realize you're never going to demystify the rental phenomenon.

[UnFrSaKn]

Melvin Luster Home (July 5 2013 - a set on Flickr

[Urbanized]

I've always wanted to know about the little boarded-up commercial building just to the south. I suspect it might be territorial, pre-dating the house. If so, in some ways it is more unusual and interesting than the home itself, which is saying something.

I fear that nobody will advocate its preservation and that it will slip away unnoticed. It could be a real jewel in the district with a little TLC.

[UnFrSaKn]

The assessor site and Doug both say it's a 1915 house.

[Urbanized]

But that doesn't mean the commercial building might not be a decade or more older..?

[UnFrSaKn]

That would be amazing to have a home from before statehood in the heart of downtown, quietly being overlooked. We know how this will likely end however.

[Urbanized]

[warreng88]

I can't even begin to imagine what kind of structural problems there are with this property. It has been completely neglected for decades.

I remember Steve bringing up that this would be a good little grocery store and to be honest, I can't envision it being anything else but that. There is no space to interact with residents so a restaurant with wouldn't really work. I guess it could be an office but that would pretty boring.