Matilda Street has no curb appeal

I apologize to all residents on Matilda Street, but Matilda Street wins the award for the ugliest street in the Grove, except for maybe these two houses, which are in a cul de sac off of Madilda. This is what Matilda used to look like.

And there are one or two more nice places on Matilda, but basically it's all row after row of prefabricated looking townhomes. You know the type -- the one that is all garage exposed to the street -- no character, no beauty. UGLY. I took a walk from Bird Avenue to Grand Avenue and this is what I saw. I don't even know what this ugly thing is below.

This is what the Grove is going to become if we don't start fighting the demolition of the quaint older places or at least start regulating the architecture of what is built. Greedy developers build this crap and I guess people with no taste buy them. I just can't imagine house hunting in the Grove and choosing this junk over other beautiful houses available -- some new, some old, but with character. Gifford Lane may end up like this if we let it.

While I feel that Coral Gables is way over built now, I don't think this would happen there, they have some sort of review board there. I don't think this would happen in the Art Deco District of South Beach either. Here anything goes.

The houses in the neighborhoods should fit in. Can you see this crap in New Orleans or Boston's Back Bay? They would not allow it.

I felt like approaching the homeowners who I saw out in front of their houses and ask them "why?" But I didn't wanna cause a fight, so I just kept moving. The terrace and awning above is a nice touch, and they actually went out of their way here to block the ugly garage and add some character. The green on the house and the foliage really
enhance it.

Look at this. No curb appeal and nothing nice about it. That "for sale" sign is gonna be there for quite awhile I am guessing, unless some fool with a seeing eye dog is in the market.

The builders of these places have no imagination. I bet they were at the bottom of their classes in design and architecture. I can do it myself: Slap in a two car garage and build around it. Put the bedrooms above the garage and squeeze in the living room on the bottom floor, and usually squeeze in a kitchen/dining area on the second floor.

Use inferior materials -- formica and such, unless the buyer wants an upgrade. Use all white for the interiors, even the kitchens. Just slap it together fast and put a for sale sign up. That's the technique.

But the funny thing is that people actually buy this ugliness. "Build it and they will come," never rang so true. I don't even wanna know what this thing is above. Did they run out of room? Why is the second floor hanging out like that on the side?

I could walk around and take some pictures of classier townhouses, but you have seen them and know the difference. They have bricks, they have larger windows, they have couryards and the garages are not the main feature.

Some of the good ones look like French villages, some have deep darker paint colors and are embellished with classier framework. Some are designed so well that you actually miss them as you walk by, they blend in. Many can be seen on Virginia Street near Shipping and near Bird; and of course on and around Ruth and Jackson.

But poor Matilda Street is the ugliest street in the Grove. Looks like they just slapped it together with no thought.

Let the comments begin . . .