'This Old House' says Near South among best places to buy older home

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By DEENA WINTER / Lincoln Journal Star

In the three years Scott and Sue Bulfinch have been converting the triplex they bought at 2128 B St. into a one-family home, they’ve seen houses all around them make the same conversion.

A house on the corner used to be a triplex, the one next door is no longer a group home, and several others nearby are being converted back to single-family homes.

The Bulfinches bought the house in the Near South Neighborhood because they could get more house for their money —nearly 6,000 square feet. That’s one of the reasons “This Old House” magazine named the Near South one of the best places in the Midwest to buy an old house.

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This April 2005 file photo shows Dan and Joy Osborn's home in the Near South neighborhood at 1900 C St. (LJS File)

This April 2005 file photo shows Dan and Joy Osborn's home in the Near South neighborhood at 1900 C St. (LJS File)

Roughly one square mile, the Near South is southeast of downtown, bounded by G, South, 13th and 27th streets.

The magazine touted homes in Near South’s Mount Emerald Historic District — Lincoln’s first National Register neighborhood — which it said start at $200,000.

Once home to some of Lincoln’s earliest and wealthiest residents, the neighborhood began to decline in the 1920s, when homes began being converted into apartments.

That trend surged in the 1950s, but now the city is trying to encourage people to convert chopped-up houses back into single-family homes.

Mayoral aide Jon Carlson, a Near South resident and landlord, said the neighborhood has a long history of revitalization.

“It’s great that This Old House shares our feeling about this neighborhood,” he said.

Lincoln historian Ed Zimmer said Near South has a “treasure trove of historic property.”

Greg McCown, who lives in the Near South and sells real estate, said you can get double the house for half the price of the Lincoln suburbs. Near South houses cost $50 to $70 per square foot, compared to $100 to $140 in newer areas, he said.

The magazine also touted fixer-uppers as cheap as $100,000 in the area south of the Capitol, which it called “an area poised to host the next revival.” That area is the focus of a city revitalization effort called Stronger Safer Neighborhoods, spearheaded by Carlson.

Near South resident Cathy Beecham said she’d like to see the mayor extend his recently announced housing stimulus plan to renovation of core neighborhood homes.

Mayor Chris Beutler’s proposal would offer $1,000 grants to people who buy new homes. While it could be used for new houses in old neighborhoods, it doesn’t include renovations.

The president of the Near South neighborhood association, Scott Baird, acknowledged the neighborhood has pockets that need improvement, and he’s happy the city is addressing those issues.

In mid-March, about 350 people turned out for a meeting with the mayor to talk about core neighborhood issues — particularly neighborhoods south of the Capitol. Of that, 125 signed up to volunteer on “action teams” that are focusing on issues such as crime and cleanups.

In mid-May, more than 80 landlords in the south Capitol area showed up to talk to city officials about how they could help the Stronger Safer Neighborhoods effort.

Police have assigned officers to focus on certain blocks in the area, Carlson said, and those officers have come up with their own ideas, such as handing out placards with their name, photo and a list of important phone numbers for everything from junked cars to fire hazards.

McCown said newcomers to Lincoln often rave about the number of “great old neighborhoods” the city has. And despite some bad publicity about crime and housing issues in the Near South and adjacent Everett Neighborhood, he said homes in the area are still selling as long as they’re priced appropriately. He said he’s sold a lot of Near South homes to people who have downtown connections.

In recent years, landlords in the city core have been battered by double-digit vacancy rates and aging housing, but John Bussey —who owns 45 buildings and 150 apartment units in central Lincoln — said interest in renting near downtown has really picked up in recent months, and his vacancy rate is going down.

“The tenant quality is way up,” he said. “Every good person we get elevates the neighborhood that much.”

Normally summer is slow, but he’s got the lowest vacancy rate he’s had in two years. He’s seeing more grad students and recently rented to a university dean and a church administrator. He thinks the high price of gas is helping draw people to the conveniently located neighborhood.

“I hope it goes to $8 (a gallon),” he joked. “For me it was like somebody turned a light switch (off) in June of 2004 and now it’s like the light switch has been turned back on.”

A little national publicity touting the area doesn’t hurt, either.

Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.