Eyesore of the week

Property: 2222 Grand River Ave., Okemos

Owner: Primarc Properties LLC

Assessed value: $109,900

Owner says: Could not be reached for comment

Architecture critic Amanda Harrell-Seyburn says: Good economy, bad economy: vacant buildings happen. Blight isn’t vacancy, but it begins with poorly kept properties that are all too often the result of vacancy. Unoccupied properties can avoid blight if owners attend to the vital maintenance, like the roof and grounds. Buildings experience vacancy: It is the steps taken to maintain the property in the interim that matters.

This eyesore is hard to spot, which is probably a good thing. If you happen to catch a glimpse of this property while doing 45 miles per hour down Grand River Avenue, you’d probably second guess whether you actually saw a building or just vegetation. It’s like the structure decided to hide itself in a bush. Two-thirds of the front façade has been completely overtaken by rampantly overgrown shrubs and trees. The only visible parts of the building are the front door and the arch of the roof. It’s nearly impossible to see the bay windows that flank the main entrance. Greeting visitors in the parking area is a large (at one time) electric sign that has been smashed out and disemboweled, its wiring dangling pitifully down the pole.