Eyesore of the Week: July 20

“Eyesore of the Week” ”is our weekly look at some of the seedier properties in Lansing. It rotates with Eye Candy of the Week and Eye for Design. Have a suggestion? Email Managing Editor Kyle Kaminski at eye@lansingcitypulse.com or call in a nomination at 517-999-6715.

3601 Deerfield Ave.
Lansing, MI

3601 Deerfield Ave., Lansing 

On one end of a foundation basement stands the rickety remains of the end wall of a home. It comes to a peak at the top, held in place by a large piece of lumber striking out at an angle from the ground to the top of the peaked wall. What remains of the actual home is strewn in piles of nail-studded wood pieces and debris on the lawn. The former front door, which did have a city code compliance red tag on it, is gone, buried in the rubble somewhere. 

The property at 3601 Deerfield Ave. has seen an escalation of involvement with city officials starting in June 2020. That’s when officials cited the property for exterior issues. A neighbor said the home’s roof had begun to cave in. Then came the inevitable red tags that deemed the property unsafe, citations for doing construction work without permits and more red tags. In March and again two weeks ago, the city boarded up every entrance to the building. A temporary fence surrounds the mostly demolished home. The property owner, Mary G. Wade, could not be located for comment.