After voting on Tuesday, I walked into the neighborhood to explore an area different to me, one where I don't recall having visited in the past. Technically, I don't think this street is a part of the Town of Speedway,
being on the north side of 30th Street.
It was a pleasant day and a lot of people were out,
mowing or raking their lawns, repairing their fences,
using the leaf-blower to encourage the now brown detritus
from the trees to navigate into paper bags. ...
Lots of large paper bags.
Mr. McCauley, seen here and in the top photo, was trying
to repair the zipper on his lawn mower's leaf bag. When I'd first seen him I'd thought he was sitting in the sun, working on a needlepoint project.
I dunno, I guess it was the large piece of canvas in his lap
that made me think that.
About a half mile further along (and back in Speedway)
I saw this home for sale. The information says that it has three bedrooms, two baths, a fenced in back yard with a hot tub. You get 1,623 square feet
of space with large front and back yards for just under $125,000.
An informal check of the prices in the area (obtained from sales flyers)
seems to indicate homes in this neighborhood sell for
anywhere in the high $90's to $150,000.
The houses above are located about half a block from where I live.
They were all built in the late 50's to early 60's. When the development was laid out, prospective buyers would meet with the builder to determine
the layout of their home; such things as what side of the house they wanted their main entrance and living room to be on, what the outside surface
of the house would be - red brick, tan brick, limestone
or a combination of the two. Some homes are split level, some have attached garages while others do not.
Over the years, it's been interesting to see how the homes
have evolved according to the personalities and changing needs of the homeowners. A lot of the homes have the same owners
as when they were constructed
The houses above and below reflect what seems to have been
the basic footprint of most in the area, without the additions and personal touches shown by the other homes. The owner of the above home only
uses the house during the race season, which gives it its lonely air.
An informal check of the prices in the area (obtained from sales flyers)
seems to indicate homes in this neighborhood sell for
anywhere in the high $90's to $150,000.
They were all built in the late 50's to early 60's. When the development was laid out, prospective buyers would meet with the builder to determine
the layout of their home; such things as what side of the house they wanted their main entrance and living room to be on, what the outside surface
of the house would be - red brick, tan brick, limestone
or a combination of the two. Some homes are split level, some have attached garages while others do not.
Over the years, it's been interesting to see how the homes
have evolved according to the personalities and changing needs of the homeowners. A lot of the homes have the same owners
as when they were constructed
The above home has also retained a lot of its initial look,
with the possible addition of a two-car garage
The houses above and below reflect what seems to have been
the basic footprint of most in the area, without the additions and personal touches shown by the other homes. The owner of the above home only
uses the house during the race season, which gives it its lonely air.
2 comments:
What a lovely neighbourhood, Speedway. Mr. Mc.M sitting at his needlepoint makes for a charming image.
I can never get over how much SPACE there is on your massive continent.
Sheesh! That massive bungalow for sale so incredibly cheaply would be a mansion over here and would never have that much land with it. Any self-respecting English developer would fit twenty-four homes on that plot. I honestly don't know what I'd do with that much space. It's like a park! My house takes up way less of a footprint than the garage on the side of that one, and cost more than twice as much, dammit.
Every now and then I'm tempted to move over there, to the land of palatial homes and dirt-cheap gas (it always raises a sarcastic jeer over here whenever an American complains about gas prices).
But then I think of all the extra cleaning and gardening I'd have to do and I sigh with relief.
Hey ho.
It is a nice place, Dive. I think the homes were originally populated with engineers and other employees of Detroit Allison, who've gone on and/or retired.
The town of Speedway is not as old as the track, having been incorporated in 1925, fourteen years after the 1st Indy 500. There are older homes, some of which are interesting, but have been covered over w/vinyl siding, etc. making them more boring than actually are.
My section of town is about 50-60 years old, my apartment complex was built in the early 70's, I think. There are few, if any, building lots for new residential construction. The newest home is Craftsman in style, on a wooded lot and was completed about 2 years ago.
There's a lot next to it where a house was torn down, but that's about all that's left.
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