LANSING - Do you want to own a piece of Lansing history?

The Ingham County Treasurer's Office will auction off a historic Victorian-style home, located at 1117 N. Walnut St., on July 25 at the Lansing Center for a starting bid of $11,555.21. People can tour the home during an open house from 4-6 p.m. Wednesday.

The 2,000-square-foot home was built in 1895 in the city's Walnut neighborhood, not far from Old Town and the Capitol building. It has blue cedar shake siding and a red interlocking asphalt roof, which is in good condition. A stone-tiled front porch wraps around the front of the house.

Inside, the home features an oak staircase, hardwood floors, a claw-foot tub upstairs and original wood trim. There's also a hole in the floor upstairs, crumbling porch steps, damage to the siding and a tree is growing on the roof near the chimney.

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"It does need a lot of love," said Cassandra Nelson, vice president of Preservation Lansing, a group that works to maintain and revive historic properties in the area. "It's in a cool neighborhood and has the potential to be a really beautiful house."

The two-story home has two bedrooms, 1½ bathrooms, a detached garage and a basement. The county foreclosed on the property on March 31, said Treasurer Eric Schertzing.

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"It's got wide rooms and wide doors, which are attractive interior features," Schertzing said. "And it's in a wonderful location."

Schertzing said he hopes that when the house is bought and renovated, it will kick start a revival in a neighborhood full of older homes.

Schertzing's office teamed up with Preservation Lansing to grant the Walnut Street home and two other houses on the auction block a historic property and owner occupancy covenant. That means they must be restored to preserve their historic nature and they can't be used as a rental property for 20 years.

The other two properties with the covenant are 810 Fenton Ave. and 512 N. Sycamore St. The three properties are among 61 houses up for auction.

Despite the Walnut Street home's flaws, Nelson said it has a lot of character.

"It's well-built," she said. "Someone will fall in love with it."

Alexander Alusheff is a reporter with the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at (517) 388-5973 or aalusheff@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexalusheff.

Auction information

The auction will begin at 10 a.m. July 25 at the Lansing Center, 333 E. Michigan Ave. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. For more information, visit tr.ingham.org.