A "Dream Home" Finally Worthy of the Nickname

Before renovation.

Exterior after rehab

Living room/kitchen remodel

Instead of bedrooms like this...

Bedrooms are like this now.

Post by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director.  First photo contributed by Alissa Luepke Pier, Hawthorne resident and project architect.  Photos 2-4 and 6 from Aesthetic Eye Photography.  Photo #5 by Jeff Skrenes, originally appearing on North by Northside.

Urban Homeworks continues to impress me.  They took something as drab and dreary as a Dream Home - which even without the exterior that so many in NoMi find distasteful, brings about memories of yet another case of mortgage fraud in this community - and turned it into a house that people would be proud to live in.  Much of the rehab can be attributed to the vision of local architect Alissa Luepke Pier, who designed the facade improvement and re-oriented the front door to create a more comfortable space.

The development project also reconfigured the second floor by removing one of the bedrooms and making the rest of the rooms a little more spacious.  Urban Homeworks staff said that floor looked "too much like a dormitory" before they changed it up.  I thought it compared more to a prison, but in all fairness, I've never been incarcerated, so maybe I'm being too negative towards prisons.

One aspect of this house that made it a viable rehab candidate is that it is what's often referred to as a "second generation Dream Home."  The first round of Dream Homes were slab-on-grade, no basement, no garage, six bedrooms, and baseboard heat.  This one at least had a full basement and a garage, making the other renovations much easier to work with.  If anyone wants to see the property, it's at 2515 Irving Avenue North.  The house has a family as its proud new occupants as well.  If you see them in their yard, make sure to welcome them to NoMi!  And thanks, Urban Homeworks! 

Drug Use Issues at 915 22nd Ave N

Post and photos by Jeff Skrenes, Hawthorne Neighborhood Council Housing Director

A Hawthorne resident called me today to inform the neighborhood council about drug use happening at the back door of 915 22nd Ave N. This property, owned by the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, is being cleaned out after arson was suspected some time ago. The neighborhood would like to see the structure demolished and have the property lines redrawn at 2126 and 2128 Dupont to create two properties that continue all the way to the alley.

In the meantime, block club members and residents have started up a community garden nearby, with the help of the Hawthorne Neighborhood Council and Urban Homeworks. Block club participants report drug use activity happening at all hours of the day.


Where things become tricky is that the rear doorway where the activity takes place is quite literally impossible to see from the street or the alley. One has to go around the corner just to see the alcove. Naturally, residents are hesitant to do so, worried about who or what they might encounter.



Phone calls have been made to CM Hofstede, Minnesota Housing, and the 4th Precinct. Having virtually no witnesses to the activity makes official reporting problematic. Our goal at this time is to get the cleanup crew to formally report to the MPD that they found upwards of 40-50 needles on the back steps so that there is at least a trail of documentation. Any residents who see signs of illicit activity, even lurking, at this property, are urged to call 911.