Our Second Kalamazoo House
From James Donahue’s Journal
I don’t remember exactly how we found out about it, but a piece of property unexpectedly went up for sale on North Street, about two blocks away, at the bottom of the hill, that we managed to buy. There had been a bitter divorce and the property was sold as part of the settlement. As always, the place needed some work, but it was already far better than the barn we were living in. Somehow we bought the place and moved in.
We immediately rented the house on the hill to college students. I selected one boy to oversee the selection of the tenants and collect the rent. We furnished the place with beds and basic desks and chairs, and that was it. I was so angry at the city for what it had done to our plan for repairing the house and turning it into an apartment complex, I no longer cared what happened to the house. I would have been happy to let it go to rack and ruin, thus dragging down property values in the neighborhood, and consequently cutting tax revenues to city coffers. In the long run, my plan worked perfectly. Undisciplined students can tear the heart out of a house in a relatively short time.
The house we moved into was among the better ones we lived in. It was located on the edge of a wooded area, even though it was in the city. The neighborhood appeared relatively well kept. This place was on a double lot. The vacant lot beside the house was a large lawn that had an interesting artistic fountain in the center of it. I think there had been an underground sprinkler system to keep the yard green at one time, although we never found out how to turn it on.
It was a two-story brick house with four bedrooms on the second floor. We entered through the front door to a small entrance room where I placed my roll top desk. This opened up into a large living room. We could look across this room to a beautiful oak wooden staircase that took us into the upper floor. An archway led to a nice dining area. To the right of the dining room was the kitchen, and to the left was the bathroom. The master bedroom on the second floor was at the rear of the house. This had a half-bath at one end. Another large bedroom was located at the other end of a hallway. The door to a third bedroom opened from the top of the stairs. A door within that bedroom opened into a fourth and smaller bedroom. This became the girl’s rooms. Aaron was moved into the front bedroom, and of course, Doris and I claimed the master bedroom.
There was a full basement under the house. It included a large workshop at the rear and a front room which housed the furnace, electric service and other services to the house utilities. A door opened directly from the rear of the basement into the back yard. Directly behind the house was a large barn that had been finished on the inside. On one side was a car garage with overhead storage. On the left side was a complete workshop with knotty pine walls, a big work bench, and the place was wired for heavy power tools. I could not believe our luck at finding and being able to buy such a place.
From James Donahue’s Journal
I don’t remember exactly how we found out about it, but a piece of property unexpectedly went up for sale on North Street, about two blocks away, at the bottom of the hill, that we managed to buy. There had been a bitter divorce and the property was sold as part of the settlement. As always, the place needed some work, but it was already far better than the barn we were living in. Somehow we bought the place and moved in.
We immediately rented the house on the hill to college students. I selected one boy to oversee the selection of the tenants and collect the rent. We furnished the place with beds and basic desks and chairs, and that was it. I was so angry at the city for what it had done to our plan for repairing the house and turning it into an apartment complex, I no longer cared what happened to the house. I would have been happy to let it go to rack and ruin, thus dragging down property values in the neighborhood, and consequently cutting tax revenues to city coffers. In the long run, my plan worked perfectly. Undisciplined students can tear the heart out of a house in a relatively short time.
The house we moved into was among the better ones we lived in. It was located on the edge of a wooded area, even though it was in the city. The neighborhood appeared relatively well kept. This place was on a double lot. The vacant lot beside the house was a large lawn that had an interesting artistic fountain in the center of it. I think there had been an underground sprinkler system to keep the yard green at one time, although we never found out how to turn it on.
It was a two-story brick house with four bedrooms on the second floor. We entered through the front door to a small entrance room where I placed my roll top desk. This opened up into a large living room. We could look across this room to a beautiful oak wooden staircase that took us into the upper floor. An archway led to a nice dining area. To the right of the dining room was the kitchen, and to the left was the bathroom. The master bedroom on the second floor was at the rear of the house. This had a half-bath at one end. Another large bedroom was located at the other end of a hallway. The door to a third bedroom opened from the top of the stairs. A door within that bedroom opened into a fourth and smaller bedroom. This became the girl’s rooms. Aaron was moved into the front bedroom, and of course, Doris and I claimed the master bedroom.
There was a full basement under the house. It included a large workshop at the rear and a front room which housed the furnace, electric service and other services to the house utilities. A door opened directly from the rear of the basement into the back yard. Directly behind the house was a large barn that had been finished on the inside. On one side was a car garage with overhead storage. On the left side was a complete workshop with knotty pine walls, a big work bench, and the place was wired for heavy power tools. I could not believe our luck at finding and being able to buy such a place.