Eyesore of the week

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Property: 610 Clifford St., Lansing

Owner: Ingham County Land Bank

Assessed value: $0

Owner says: It’s coming down, just don’t know when

Architecture critic Amanda Harrell-Seyburn says: Take one part craftsman, add one part Tudor revival and presto — you’ve got this rare find on Lansing’s east side. Popularized in the 1920s and 1930s, these hybrids are most frequently found in the Westside Neighborhood and the southside neighborhoods of Lansing. Repetition of form — a large triangle gable repeated in the small triangle gable of the entry — is a character-defining feature that is visually strong and yet adds a bit of whimsy. What an opportunity.

Yet for all the opportunity, it’s looking like this house is coming down. It’s not on the Ingham County Land Bank’s demolition short list, though, so it’s unclear when 610 Clifford will go, said Land Bank Chairman Eric Schertzing.

As it stands, the house carries a certain aura of eeriness. Maybe it’s the curtains that are still up. Maybe it’s the torn out stairs. Or maybe it’s the two black handprints that are on the outside of the top right window. Yeah, it’s probably that. 

The overall dirty appearance doesn’t help the creep factor. The entire house is covered in a bland oatmeal color — which really makes the brown spots pop where the paint has peeled off. And the cinderblock porch is covered in leaves, wood and other debris — at least there’s no rocking chair, rocking to and fro by itself in the wind.


“Eyesore of the Week” is our look at some of the seedier properties in Lansing. It rotates each week with Eye Candy of the Week. If you have a suggestion, please e-mail eye@lansingcitypulse.com or call Andy Balaskovitz at 999-5064.

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