This morning I took a couple of perspective buyers to
view a lovely turn-of-the-century home for sale in
South Minneapolis. I had toured the property before,
and was excited for my clients to see its many
impressive original features, including several
stained glass windows.
It was with a great sense of foreboding then, I must
tell you, that I spied the missing (vintage) knob on
the front door as we approached. It had been hacked
off.
The listing agent was waiting for us inside, and his
face was glum. This house had just in the past couple
of days been robbed... of its stained glass windows.
Now I understand that not everyone shares my obsessive
passion for 100+ year-old architecture, and that's
completely alright, but this is still burglary - a
traumatizing crime. I must say that I am heartsick
over it, and fearful that it will not be an isolated
incident.
With the number of vacant homes in our city right now,
forclosed or otherwise, (this one was not a
foreclosure, but the sellers had relocated) there are
ample opportunities for such theft to take place.
I would like to urge everyone to keep an eye out. If
you have homes for sale on your block, please watch
them if you can, especially if they are vacant!
I suspect that this type of theft could well take
place in the bright light of day, and go unnoticed as
people (if they are around and not off at work)
presume that it's just another part of home repair,
renovation or preparation for sale.
Please-please-please, keep watch.
Depressed in my already-stained-glass-free house...
Connie Nompelis
Central Neighborhood