One of Lansing’s oldest homes could be yours for $12K

One of Lansing’s oldest homes will go on the auction block later this month.

The Queen Anne-style Victorian home at 523 Cherry St. can be yours for a starting bid of roughly $12,000 at the Ingham County delinquent property auction on July 23.

Built in 1885 in the historic Cherry Hill neighborhood, the 130-year-old home has retained original features - a stone fireplace, hand-carved woodwork - alongside gaping holes in the plaster, water-damaged ceilings, a double-doorway filled in with plasterboard and two-by-fours to accommodate a single door.

“As you look at this staircase, you almost feel like you’re watching the carver 130 years ago,” said Ingham County Treasurer Eric Schertzing, running his hand over the carved wood bannister on the spiral staircase. “Someone will really fall in love with it.”

Sharon Burton is one of those people.

“I think it’s a really good home, but it needs a lot of work,” said Burton, standing in the home’s front parlor during an open house on Thursday evening

Burton has been following the auctions for the past three years. She lives in a Victorian home in Old Town, but is looking for something bigger

This 1,842-square-foot Victorian will be one she plans to bid on. The two-story home has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, a walk-out basement and detached garage, sitting on 0.24 acres of land. It came to the county through tax foreclosure in April.

“It’s got character and that’s what people are looking for when they buy an old home,” Burton said.

And it’s got history. The house has had dozens of owners and renters over the last 130 years.

Most occupants worked in retail or for the government downtown. There was William O. Watson, who lived in the home in 1920 and worked as a clerk at Mills Dry Goods, a prominent clothing and furniture store that operated at 108 S. Washington Ave. There was a painter, a bank teller, a factory worker, a man who sold beer and wine, a legislative assistant at the State House of Representatives, according to city directories from 1930 to 1998.

The home is a rarity in Lansing, said Valerie Marvin, president of the Historical Society of Greater Lansing.

“Lansing didn’t grow until 1910 through 1930, so homes from that era is what makes up most of the housing stock in the city,” she said. “It’s a good, middle-class home.”

At auction, the home will be sold with a historic property and owner occupancy covenant, meaning it must be restored to preserve its historic nature and it can’t be used as a rental property for 20 years.

“This is the oldest neighborhood in the city and we’d like to see it more in its former glory,” said Curt Sonnenberg, a member of the Lansing Historic District Commission who is working with a Cherry Hill neighborhood group to restore the area.

“I see a whole lot of hidden value here. It will be a neat place to fix up and restore.”

The auction:

The Ingham County Land Sale Auction is set for 10 a.m. July 23rd at the Lansing Center. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. For more information, visit the Ingham County Treasurer’s Office website at http://tr.ingham.org.

Contact Alexander Alusheff at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff