Efforts to demolish uninhabitable houses in Knox are picking up speed. Mayor Dennis Estok told the city council Tuesday two of the four homes purchased by the city as part of a blight elimination grant have been torn down.
The other two should be leveled within the next week or so, including Marsh Manor on Main Street. The building’s interior was gutted by a fire several years ago, and it was sold at tax sale in 2012. The buyer, who paid $15,000 for the property, did not realize it was not inhabitable and tried unsuccessfully to get her money back. She had hoped to turn the former rooming house into a four-unit apartment building. Starke County property tax records indicate Marsh Manor was built in 1921.
The City of Knox will be able to tear down a total of 10 structures with grant funds from the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority. So far Knox has received a reimbursement of $20,600 from the state through the program. The last two properties accepted into the program are at 303 E. John St. and 202 N. Clark St. No timeline has been set for those demolitions at this time.
