Eyesore of the week

Property:  1635 Vermont Ave., Lansing

Owner:  Lois Goddard

Taxpayer: Lois Goddard

Assessed:  $27,600

Owner says: Unable to be reached for comment

Architecture critic Amanda Harrell-Seyburn says: Everyonce in a while the simplest structure surprises — vertical wood sidingat 1635 Vermont Ave. This type of siding is relatively rare in contrastto its cousin, horizontal siding, that dominates Lansing’s residentialarchitecture. The vertical choice is wise as it does for this smallhouse what pinstripes do for a man in a suit — it makes the houseappear taller. A new paint job will really make this quite asmart-looking house.

A pink paint job is reason enough tolabel this home an eyesore, but this house’s problems extend far beyondthe color. Windows on the front and side of the house are boarded up.The front door, which has not been replaced with plywood, no longerlatches and blows open in the breeze. It appears as if the previousowner was in the middle of whitewashing over the unfortunate color  whensomething happened to make them stop — after only a quarter of thefront of the house had been completed. The rusted-out basketball hoopover the slowly collapsing garage completes the house’s look ofabandonment. However cute it may have been originally, it is far fromlooking that way now.