Historic House in St. Paul Waiting To Be Foreclosed

Posted in Foreclosed Homes, November 24th, 2008 |

A historic house in St. Paul’s East Side (1750 Ames Place) is waiting to be foreclosed. Once upon a time this 1890 structure stood grand and solitary amidst rolling farmlands. This shingle style house measures about 3,000 ft and has gambrel roof with polygonal tower. But by the end of the 40’s it came to be hemmed in with less stately houses. Today it stands lonely and empty off White Bear Avenue – a lost treasure.

Mark Wiebusch is a realtor. He is listing the house for a bank after the former owner was foreclosed upon. The house priced at $219,000 is a bargain deal for anyone with a discerning eye. It is listed on National Register of Historic Places as Charles W. Schneider House. The gentleman was a press bookkeeper of St. Paul. Any and everybody cannot gain from the house – it has to be someone who will appreciate its antique value. Less than one hundred private houses are on the National Register list. It is also enlisted with the Heritage Preservation Commission of the city. Today it is on the foreclosure list!
Deeks and Witbeck constructed the building but the name of the architect remains unknown. The original woodwork can still be seen inside the house where there is a wide staircase with two landings coming down the centre of the house. All the three fireplaces are in good shape. The stained glass windows speak volumes of a gracious age. The house however needs repair. The kitchen requires sprucing up with Formica and linoleum. Colourful new wallpapers will work wonders to give a new stamp to the historical wonder. Some of the woodwork needs refurbishing and the shingles on the outside replaced. This would cost about $50,000.
This house about to be foreclosed upon stands forlorn and neglected through the years. Little repair work has been done. The roof was last attended to in 1987 and a lone bathroom renovated sometime in 1996.
Even before this one, other architectural jewels of the city have been facing foreclosure like problems. Amy Spong is a conservationist. She said that during the 80’s many of the historic houses in Historic Hill District were cut up into rentals and the locality came to be riddled with crime. Dayton Bluff is another of six historic districts of the city. Here too the price of real estate has sharply dropped leading to many foreclosures.