Location: 530 N. Jenison Ave., Lansing
Owner: Kurt J. Boegner
Taxpayer: Kurt J. Boegner
Assessed: $55,400
Owner says: Unable to be reached for comment

This week’s eyesore is a sad symbol of happy days gone. What was once an idyllic symbol of the American dream has been red-tagged since September 2007.

There are a couple windows boarded up, and the screens have been popped out of those that aren’t; wherever there’s paint, it’s peeling. But the worst is the rear of the house. Chunks of drywall are missing from a garage and there’s a makeshift cabinet with Matchbox cars for knobs. Outside, an abandoned sandbox sits next to a cage that could have held the family pet. There’s even a white picket fence surrounding the yard. What could have been a happy home for your typical nuclear family is now just depressing.

But there is a glimmer of hope for this residence. A neighbor said that a new owner purchased it last July and plans to restore the home.

At first, it’s hard to understand why it would be red-tagged in the first place, but in the back there may be a clue: The home was apparently at one point protected by Wolverine Security, or so a sticker proclaims. The owners would have been better off if it were protected by Spartans.

“Eyesore of the Week," is our weekly look at some of the seedier properties in Lansing. Let us know about that blight in your neighborhood! If you have a suggestion, please e-mail eyesore@ lansingcitypulse.com or call Neal McNamara at 371-5600 ex. 17