Eyesore of the week

Property: 1215 Vermont Ave., Lansing

Owner: Ingham County Land Bank

Assessed Value: $0amanda

Owner says: Property will be demolished by January 

Architecture critic Amanda Harrell-Seyburn says: It’s incredibly tempting to sacrifice a porch to increase indoor square footage of a house. Enclosing an exterior porch, whether partially or completely, is a very common practice that can be successful but far too often falls short. The simple fact is that the enclosed portion never quite looks right, detracting from the attractive proportions and details of the house. For example: the turret at 1215 Vermont Ave. Monochromatic colors, like this home’s single color, also draw attention to awkward features like an enclosed porch. Breaking up the monochromatic white facade by adding color to the decorative details and trim would dramatically improve the overall aesthetic.

This rickety picket fence, sunken tarp-covered roof and acrid smell of ripe standing water in the summer air is like the dying soul of a bitter pirate – a pirate with one leg in the grave and the other on a banana peel. Nails for holiday lights line the rafters of the front porch and a walnut tree hangs over what is left of the patio. It’s hard to envision lights hanging from the bird nests peeking through the beams or a family enjoying the rotting nuts on the patio that resembles a pirate’s plank. Deemed unsafe by the city in 2007, the Land Bank says this house will be gone by January — we say good riddance to this old fellow.

— Ashley Brown