Housing Posts

Live-in volunteers help provide care at Bob Tavani House

May 16, 2022 No Comments

Kate Bradley stands on the porch of the Bob Tavani House for Medical Respite. Bradley and her partner, Kelly Wallin, are live-in volunteers who help provide shelter and care for those in need of housing after a hospital stay. (Photo by Jack Wiedner)

Kate Bradley clears off a wooden dining-room table, which doubles as her desk during the day. She switches out her laptop and office supplies for mismatched plates and silverware.

Bradley’s partner, Kelly Wallin, scrounges through the refrigerator, gathering ingredients for meatloaf. “No ketchup,” he reminds himself, as one of the residents is allergic to tomatoes. He will have to improvise.

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Historic Duluth hotel reborn for modern downtown living

Oct 25, 2018 7 Comments

Zenith City Revival LLC owner Mitchell Holmes, left, and designer Kori Kneeland stand in the kitchen of a condominium model at Building No. 12 in downtown Duluth. Zenith City Revival LLC spent more than two years renovating the historic hotel property and is now marketing space inside the building.

Developers have completed major renovation work on a 19th Century Duluth hotel and will market the condominium space to buyers interested in modern downtown living.

Zenith City Revival LLC announced last week a model condominium and more than two floors of unfinished residential space is now open for showing in the rechristened Building No. 12. The historic four-story property at 12 N. Lake Ave. was constructed in 1890 and most recently known as the Gardner Hotel.

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News and Current Affairs

Historic downtown Superior building gets detailed restoration

Jan 31, 2018 No Comments

The Empire Block opened in 1892 on Tower Avenue in the heart of downtown Superior. Newly restored apartments will be open for showing in February.

A meticulous, top-to-bottom restoration of a massive 19th Century building in downtown Superior will offer jaw-dropping views for new residents, historic charm for new businesses and a boost to city center redevelopment efforts.

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Duluth Apartment-seeking Advice

May 23, 2015 2 Comments

I’ll be moving to Duluth this summer to take a job at UMD, and I’m seeking advice about finding apartments to rent. I’m looking for a nice and well-kept one- or two-bedroom place, pet friendly. Any tips about which rental companies to avoid, which are reliable, average prices and what you get for it, neighborhoods, how to avoid bad apartments that look good online, or tips about good places coming available? Thanks!


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Bad Landlords in Duluth

Apr 18, 2014 13 Comments

Brent Tweet was evicted by JAS Duluth for complaining about a bad leak in his ceiling that JAS failed to repair for three months (see News-Tribune story). Now he’s homeless. And today he got a letter from JAS declining to return his damage deposit (money he needs to find another place) and charging him an additional $1,251.92 … for getting kicked out.

Duluth had an active tenants union some decades back that became the Housing Access Center. HAC closed in 2009 because of federal funding cuts. Have you dealt with a bad landlord recently? Did you know who to call for help? Would Duluth benefit from a new tenants union?


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Developer has new student housing/retail plan for Woodland Middle School site

Nov 20, 2011 14 Comments

The DNT ran a story today detailing a new mixed-use residential/commercial plan for the site of the former Woodland Middle School. The developer bought the site from the school district in September. You may be familiar with the developer’s other projects like Boulder Ridge and Campus Park.

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Politics, Restaurants ,

Making an apartment a home

Nov 15, 2011 9 Comments

I remember when I was first looking at Duluth as a place to move for college. Being tired of my job and wanting something new I decided to go back to school, and remembering how much I loved Duluth; I started checking out colleges. Having found a program and school, my next task was to find a place to live. I was not prepared for the daunting task that would ensue.

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Duluth Dinkytown?

Sep 21, 2011 69 Comments

Anybody have thoughts on this?

Duluth School Board authorizes sale of Woodland site; developer envisions mini ‘Dinkytown’

I know the family that lives on the east end of the wooded area. They have been trying for over a year to purchase some of that land to leave as green-space and a buffer. They were assured that the developer would take the neighborhood “into consideration.” Can anybody fire up their crystal ball and see how this plays out? Or should I invest in vinyl siding as it takes a lot of plastic to wrap buildings over 21 acres.


News and Current Affairs

Historic Housing Project in Morley Heights

Feb 14, 2011 13 Comments

I am a journalism student at UMD, working on a story that involves Morley Heights, a neighborhood in East Duluth. I am curious to learn more about this neighborhood that was once constructed in Barksdale, Wis. Many of the homes were then moved to Duluth for employees working at the Marshall-Wells Company. It has been said that some of these homes were probably purchased from the DuPont Company at Barksdale and then each were floated across the lake to be re-constructed in Morley Heights. If someone has more information on this housing project or a connection with a potential source for my story, I would greatly appreciate it!


History

Is there a story behind these houses?

Jul 16, 2009 5 Comments

Last night while driving on Arrowhead Road, I came upon a series of brick houses that all look alike. They are around Stebner Road and seem to be built in the 30s or 40s. They all seem to be on an acre or so of land and look identical. It seems that since they appear to be built in the 30s or 40s, they would have been out in the country when they were new. Was this an old housing development, kit houses or anything interesting or just a developer with one design?


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