When Pellere took on 403 W 2nd Street, the house had been vacant, occupied by squatters, stripped of materials, and damaged by years of water intrusion and neglect. Since then, we’ve cleared debris, removed damaged materials, patched the roof, restored electrical service, and begun rebuilding the plumbing system. Work is now continuing on the heating system, cleanup, and the many repairs needed to make the house safe and livable again.
But the goal has never been simply to fix a house.
Once the property is livable, stewards will move into the home, helping care for the property while rehabilitation continues room by room. Ultimately, the house will be fully restored and sold as a family home, creating an attainable pathway back into productive use for a property that might otherwise have remained vacant or deteriorated further.
The proceeds from that sale can then be reinvested into another property, allowing one rehabilitation project to help fund the next. It’s part of Pellere’s effort to develop a practical, repeatable approach to blight remediation that can become increasingly self-sustaining rather than relying solely on grants and government programs.
Throughout the process, 403 W 2nd Street has also become a place for conversation. Our summer community engagement events invited neighbors and residents inside the project to see the work firsthand, share their perspectives on blight and housing, and help us better understand what our community values as we continue moving forward.
There is still plenty of work ahead. But each repaired system, cleared room, and lesson learned brings this house closer to becoming a home again—and helps us better understand how we can approach the next one.
