The mysterious purple building

[zenstyle]

I was in Literary Life on Friday (they are the coolest people with the coolest shop) and as I was going in I noticed the utterly un-marked dull-purple storefront (?) next door. I asked the L.L. people about it and they emitted a collective sigh...

It seems the "owner" is sitting on the place and won't let any constructive thing happen with/to it. The Powers That Be have to keep on him just to keep the front of the place picked up and cleared of snow in bad weather.

There's no address on the place, so I couldn't sleuth it; at least not to the extent that the experts here can.

So...what's with this mystery place?

[GR_Urbanist]

Property troll looking for someone dumb enough to pay him $900,000.00 for it.

Way too many of these clowns on Wealthy St.. Especially on that section.

[nurfle!]

Viget's great when you're looking for things around this area.

Photo of Literary Life, labeled summer 1971. Note the building next to it was a grocer/butcher shop.

Contemporary (looks earlier) partial photo of the building in question (756 Wealthy).

Can't read the first word, but Lugers is a dutch name (natch). My Dad grew up not terribly far from this corner (Temple St.), so I'll ask him if he knows anything next I see him.

Here's a photo of 750 which is labeled "1970's" that shows it looking long-boarded up (didn't it look sorta similar until pretty recently?). Looks closed in the first photo (see the sign damage), so it must've closed circa 1968-72.

Edit: are those barrels of apples in the front window? That is so awesome!

Edit 2: whoops, fixed linky #1 to the address I intended.

[GRDadof3]

I believe this is it:

756 Wealthy SE

PP# 411431229006

Lawrence De Liefde

447 Greenbrier Dr SE

Assessed value $26,700

Sales history shows nothing, so he's owned it for some time (not sure how far accesskent.com records go back).

The parcel also looks like it includes the little tiny area behind Literary Life on Eastern:

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&...1&encType=1

[nurfle!]

On second blush I'm pretty sure the sign reads DeVries (of course!) and Lugers. Nothing about them on the Google.

[Raildudes dad]

I believe this is it:

756 Wealthy SE

PP# 411431229006

Lawrence De Liefde

447 Greenbrier Dr SE

Assessed value $26,700

Sales history shows nothing, so he's owned it for some time (not sure how far accesskent.com records go back).

The parcel also looks like it includes the little tiny area behind Literary Life on Eastern:

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&...1&encType=1

[twoshort]

That's an old address (he sold it in 2003)

LAWRENCE W DELIEFDE

9495 CATALPA AVE

NEWAYGO, MI 49337-9256

Also owns 3113 Plaza Dr NE, which might make him the owner of hubba tubba.

[Nitro]

That's an old address (he sold it in 2003)

LAWRENCE W DELIEFDE

9495 CATALPA AVE

NEWAYGO, MI 49337-9256

Also owns 3113 Plaza Dr NE, which might make him the owner of hubba tubba.