Tuesday, June 10, 2014

OGDEN RISING: Before and After Gallery of Ogden's Renaissance

I was recently reading a ZeroHedge article describing the recent wave desolation that has descended on Detroit.  To make their point, the writer made use of Google Street View's new Time Machine feature. If you have a moment, take a look at the article.  It is both fascinating and disturbing.

That is when I started thinking about Ogden's transformation.  Having been derided by the rest of Utah as something of a leper colony during the last half of the 20th century, Ogden has pulled itself up by the bootstraps and made something remarkable of itself over the past 15 years.  The community is blossoming.  The amazing metamorphosis continues as illustrated by Google Time Machine.



The top photo is the southwest corner of 26th and Jefferson Ave. in 2008.  What was once a sketchy fourplex with a decrepit home hosting dozens of cats to the east, has become a beautiful single family Victorian home today.  



Here on the 500 block of 22nd Street we see two dilapidated rental properties.  Due to the handiwork of a pyromaniacal youth, these two unseemly properties have ironically made way for future development.



The 1900 block of Grant Ave. has been the focus of efforts called The River Project.  There is a lot of new construction going on.  This is a site of future apartment housing.



The 2100 block of Jefferson Ave. has had a makeover as well.  In 2009 the multiplexed houses in the top photo were acquired and knocked down to make way for new urban infill housing.  These homes are all owner occupied.



The same thing occurred on the 2500 block of Quincy Ave.



Whey Hwy 89 was the only road from Idaho to Salt Lake City, motels sprouted all along the main road through Ogden.  But when I-15 arrived and was placed west of the city center, these motels lost their customer base and most turned into flophouses.  Here we see the notorious Ogden Lodge before and after.




Finally, we have the Ogden Temple whose transformation is reshaping downtown Ogden.  We can see it's original form, its fragile skeletal frame during disassembly, and its reinforced bunker-grade concrete and rebar shell during reconstruction.  

Ogden is reclaiming its place among Utah's great cities and the changes in the streetscape are a testament to a bright future.

If you are looking for a home in Ogden's great neighborhoods, CONTACT ME.  We will find a place that is right for you.

No comments: