Homebuyer Deals and Steals in Detroit's Boston-Edison District
By Marilisa Sachteleben | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Mon, Oct 29, 2012
Vintage architecture lovers, there's a well-kept secret treasure trove nestled in downtown Detroit: the historic Boston-Edison neighborhood. A walk through this area is an adventure in nostalgia. Boston-Edison harks back to the golden age of American home building, the turn of the 20th century. What's even more exciting is that some of those fabulous old houses are for sale and at fantastically low prices.
* All homes in the district were built around 1905-1925. Many legends of that era lived in Boston-Edison. Famous business magnates, auto barons, celebrities, sports heroes, artists, philanthropists, academics, public figures, authors and entertainers all called this area home. Their houses are still there. If you moved to Boston-Edison, you'd be "rubbing shoulders" with the shades of such diverse neighbors as boxer Joe Louis (1683 Edison St.), K-Mart founder Sebastian Kresge (70 W. Boston), opera soprano Celeste Cole--the first black "Aida" (693 Edison), Rabbi Morris Adler (2062 Edison) ofCongregation Shaarey Zedek and the radio voice of the Lone Ranger, Brace Beemer (1725 Chicago).
Now that your history buff's curiosity is whet, what's for sale in Boston-Edison? Name your architectural preference and price range, and there's something sure to suit. There are Victorian-, Revival-, Arts and Crafts-, Tudor-, and Colonial-style homes. Houses are three-story, spacious dwellings of the period. Home listings read like museum artifact lists. Houses feature such design elements as porcelain tiling, claw-foot bathtubs, stained glass windows, oak paneling, Pewabic-tiled fireplaces, hardwood floors, butler's pantries, dumbwaiters, cement planters, built-in niches and alcoves, under-stair cupboards, decorative plaster ceilings, hand-painted trim, marble counters, and steam heat. Most homes have two-stall attached garages in keeping with the tastes of the time. Some are detached and were formerly carriage houses.
There are homes priced at all points along the spectrum. For the DIYer, there's a six-bedroom, two-bath Colonial at 1414 Longfellow going for under $7,000. There are eight houses with asking prices under $40,000. There's a nicely remodeled, ivy-covered brick 5-bedroom at 2512 W. Boston Blvd.for a modest $39,000. At the upper end of the price scale, there's a gorgeous Victorian mansion at 1211 Boston for $174,000. This brick beauty boasts nearly 5,500 square feet of living space, five bedrooms, and five baths. Here's a list from the Historical Boston-Edison Association website of all the homes available in this charming, anachronistic neighborhood.
There are arguably many negatives about living in downtown Detroit. The historic Boston-Edison district counter-balances those with old-world gentility repurposed with exciting new possibilities.
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