THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 18, 1995 TAG: 9506180038
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUSIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines
Step carefully and hold your breath, Sid Tiesenga warned, leading the way up a dusty stairway whose bannisters had been ripped away.
``There are some places you can't go,'' said Tiesenga, an orthopedic surgeon who's coordinating a renovation of the crumbling house at the edge of the historic Olde Towne district.
Saturday morning, volunteers - the youngest 4 years old - swept and shoveled trash, carting containers full of debris to a Dumpster parked beside the curb. More than 20 Olde Towne Civic League members participated in a ``clean-up party'' at the duplex on the corner of London Boulevard and Washington Street.
The effort is the first step in turning the sagging structure into a developer's dream. The league hopes to repair the exterior, fix the roof and shore up the underpinnings, then sell the house to someone who will renovate the interior.
``By the end of October, the outside will look good,'' promised Leslie R. French III, civic league president.
``Our goal is to put it in condition where a person of vision can see its potential.''
Available tax credits and abatements make the house a good investments, he said.
The league stepped in to save the house from demolition. ``We're not just saving an old house,'' French said.
``It's the revitalization of the 600 block of London Boulevard, the motor entrance to the historic district.''
The house, built in the 1880s, provides ample opportunity for repairs.
``We're hoping to fix it up and turn around and sell it,'' said Tiesenga, as he guided the way to the second floor.
Upstairs, rotten floor boards exposed high-ceilinged rooms below, and an old door formed a rickety bridge to the back bedrooms. But Tiesenga advised against peeking inside, as a rank odor underscored his reasoning.
The house - for months occupied only by vagrants - has no electricity or running water.
``There are no `rest rooms,' '' Tiesenga said.
``Certain rooms had been designated for that purpose.''
Brave volunteers in the morning had cleaned out much of the filth and debris - all sorts of clothes and shoes, old magazines, empty wine bottles and trash of all sorts.
``We'd like the current residents to leave - the uninvited guests,'' Tiesenga said, as a locksmith inspected the doors and prepared to install new locks. ``There are little evidences of fires all around here.''
The house is structurally sound, the league members said, although it has fallen into disrepair.
``There were a couple of roaches up there that if I had stepped on their backs, I could have used them for roller skates,'' said Bob Albertson, who has lived in Olde Towne all his life.
The league - with about 80 active families - is putting $25,000 into the renovations, and the Portsmouth Housing and Redevelopment Authority has promised to lend them another $25,000, French said.
``What you're seeing here is the first public/private partnership to come out of the Vision 2005 plan,'' French said, noting the downtown redevelopment effort.
They hope their efforts will be an impetus for more area revitalization. They plan to sell the house and pour the profits back into another project.
``We really think we can save this particular structure,'' Tiesenga said. ``It's worth a try. If we lose on it, all we've lost is our sweat.''
The money they are investing had been raised in the league's annual Halloween Ghost Walks, he said.
Still, the effort will take tremendous effort.
``For us, it's a leap of faith,'' French said. ``It's our commitment to the neighborhood and our commitment to the city of Portsmouth.''
Saving the house at the gateway to the historic district is investing in the future, by helping preserve a quality of life that is vanishing across the country, French said.
``People, like, lived here,'' said Clare Hahneman, 11, who worked with a group of friends to clean out some of the debris-littered rooms. ``It's sad. Can you imagine your family living here?'' ILLUSTRATION: Photos
RICHARD L. DUNSTON/Staff
Olde Towne Civic League members held a ``clean-up party'' Saturday
to begin revitalization of a house on London Boulevard that was
built in the 1880s. Left to right, David Gordon, Tim Lyke and Bob
Albertson participated in the effort.
Katie Hahneman, left, and her mother Kimberly Hahneman work on
cleaning a debris-littered room in the crumbling house, which has
been occupied by vagrants.
by CNB