Brown Makes Minor Repairs to Vacant Houses After Neighbors Complain and GoLocal Report

Brown Makes Minor Repairs to Vacant Houses After Neighbors Complain and GoLocal Report

Brown University has owned multi-family houses in the Fox Point neighborhood for decades.

The Ivy League school has not paid taxes on two homes located on Brooke Street, which have been vacant, and the condition of the properties has been left to decay.

On March 19, GoLocal reported on the condition of the dilapidated properties.  Brown had left graffiti on the homes for months.

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For years, the non-profit school had promised to return the homes for use and to the tax rolls.

But Brown had never moved forward.

 

Minor Fixes

GoLocal revisited the property on Thursday and found that Brown had made minor repairs. A broken front step was fixed, and the trash spewed in the backyard has now been removed.

However, Brown continues to leave many of the issues unaddressed.

The two houses feature broken windows covered with plywood, peeling paint, and other signs of deterioration.

 

Years of Promises

In 2010, according to Art in Ruins, Brown promised to revitalize the homes and return them to private ownership.

Multi-family houses like those in that area with three units fetch upwards of $1.5 million when restored.

According to Providence tax documents, the homes feature three units each. The properties were built around 1870.