As neighborhood headaches go, 1344 D St. had become an absolute skull-splitter.
The four-story stucco apartment building was the scene of two homicides since the turn of the century -- a man gunned down in 2002, a woman stabbed four years later.
It was a steady source of city housing complaints -- more than 10 in the past five years, for broken windows, collapsing floors, dim hallways, no utilities -- until it was red-tagged, condemned and added to the neglected building registry, Lincoln's housing hall of shame.
It was routinely visited by cops: 85 times in the past five years, for drugs, drunks, disturbances, assaults, welfare checks.
And the calls didn’t stop after it was boarded up, because now the rent was free. Police have been there nearly 20 times since it closed, mostly to roust trespassers.
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Just last week, four officers combed the dark building again, searching each room for squatters before it was resealed. They saw mold and garbage and felt weak floors beneath their feet, and they smelled the stench of human waste.
They wore gloves and were careful not to brush the walls.
“It's disturbing at best,†said Capt. Michon Morrow. “It's not even habitable by people who have nowhere else to live. I wouldn't wish that upon them.â€
Said John Boies, the city's chief housing inspector: “I think that's probably the largest eyesore building. That one, to me, is the worst.â€
Said Shawn Ryba, chief operating officer of the nonprofit NeighborWorks Lincoln: “This property has been allowed to fall into disrepair for so long, and it's frustrating for the neighborhood, and the people next door, and folks like ourselves, who are trying to strengthen the neighborhood.â€
Said Todd Mosser, a managing member of Southpaw Investments, which bought the building in 2000: “We couldn’t maintain an orderly building anymore without constant security services. It’s been a building we’ve had a lot of issues with break-ins, and the neighborhood, it’s really gone downhill.â€
Said Ben and Maja Harris: Let’s fix this.
The Lincoln couple recently donated $190,000 to NeighborWorks to buy the building, and nearly $100,000 more to tear it down and make it disappear from 14th and D.
The deal closed late last month, and demolition could begin next week.
“The Near South is a great neighborhood,†said Ben Harris, a co-founder of NBC Bancshares. “This is a way to contribute to the neighborhood.â€
Harris is the son of former Mayor Bill Harris, and he grew up not far from the neighborhood. In law school, he lived less than half a block from 1344 D, and today, his commute downtown -- he runs or bikes, depending on the weather -- takes him through the Near South.
“I know the neighborhood well. I’ve had a lifetime of experiences there.â€
Ben and Maja Harris at first thought they saw an opportunity in the once-proud apartment building. Built in 1919, it was part of the first big wave of apartment construction in Lincoln, said Ed Zimmer, the city’s historic preservation planner. It was called The Lincolndale.
But the past nine decades weren’t kind to the 15-unit complex, all of them efficiencies. The renters were eroding the building. Near the end of its occupancy, Mosser said, his group had even hired full-time security, but that wasn’t cost-effective.
“It was a nonstop problem, so we closed the building down, and it just went from there. It’s been a tough go for the police department and for us as the owners.â€
A building like 1344 D can demand disproportionate attention from city resources -- like housing inspectors and police officers. It can also put them at risk.
“It’s been in such decay, it’s dangerous to send our officers there,†said Capt. Morrow. “It’s not safe; the floors don’t seem stable.â€
A building like 1344 D also reinforces the need for more aggressive enforcement by the city, Ryba said, and housing codes with sharper teeth.
“It’s re-emphasized the fact that the previous owner was not held accountable to keeping the property safe and livable.â€
Ben and Maja Harris originally viewed the building as a commercial investment that would benefit the neighborhood. They thought they would buy it and either renovate or replace it. But the closer they looked at the building, the clearer it became their plan wasn’t economically feasible.
So instead, they approached NeighborWorks with a charitable proposition: They’d give enough money to the nonprofit to buy and demolish the building.
NeighborWorks jumped at the chance. It’s worked with companies and corporations before; it’s partnering with Assurity Life Insurance, for instance, on a 24-townhome development near 22nd and Q called Antelope Square. But it had never before been contacted by a private party willing to sponsor a specific project, Ryba said.
“We are super excited to have this partnership, to get a really bad property taken care of and torn down,†he said. “We hope it makes a positive change in the neighborhood.â€
And he hopes it spurs others to help increase the availability of safe and affordable housing in Lincoln’s oldest neighborhoods.
“I wish we had five or six or seven other folks like them,†he said. “We hope this is somewhat of a catalyst to getting other property investors to start looking at the possibilities.â€
NeighborWorks hasn’t decided what to do with the property after the building is knocked down and hauled away. It may build new affordable housing at some point, because that's at the core of its mission. In the meantime, though, it might turn the lot into community space for block parties, festivals or food trucks.
“We don’t know yet,†Ryba said. “But instead of having it vacant, let’s have some fun things happening there.â€