Burbrook - Now a Fabulous Ruin

[drdamour]

I am not sure how active this thread is, but I think I have something interesting for all of you. My father is an architect and he actually built that house that looks like 'Stevie Wonder" installed the siding, including all the random looking additions that "gnome" stated couldn't be possibly up to code.

can you [[or him) fill me in what's the story behind all the very cool architecture of locust street? is your father behind most of them? It looks like a bunch of architects had a contest as to who could build the coolest house back there.

Even then you'd get a cement block house on a slab. I'd think that anyone with that kind of money would look somewhere else.

As for the house, it does not have nearly the same degree of elegance, inside or out, of the Spicer House, across the valley and now an activities center of Heritage Park. As Gnome mentioned it is blocks on a slab. I speculate that it was intended to be stuccoed and the interior likewise improved, like the Spicer House, but never got done. Being built in the late 20's did the 1929 bust become a factor?

i don't know where you two get your information, burbrook is not blocks on a slab. The entire thing has a VERY scary michigan basement. In fact the two oil heated burners are down there that heat the entire radiator system [[which have asbestos coverings in some places still)

I have tons of photos from the inside when it was up for sale @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/drdamour/tags/burbrook/

it does look worse than it used to, i guess they tore out the plaster ceiling in the north-west family room [[the one you called the "left end", the master bath was above it and i expect that's the radiator that the one person was reffering to as busting [[although many were in bad shape. see here here & here [[master bath)

also here's a picture of the north-west family room before they gutted the ceiling http://www.flickr.com/photos/drdamour/4203623909/.

I seriously considered buying this hot mess but the oil heat scared me, i wasn't a fan of radiant heating, and the plaster work [[or drywall if you rip it out which is what this guy is probably doing) was IMMENSE [[4600 sq ft worth). The basement floor is mud under the two family rooms because of that leaky well, which is scary. Dirt would be ok. All the chimneys were trashed.

If they put it up for a 1$ i'll certainly buy it