Yazoo City resident Russell Perry purchased a historic Yazoo City home in hopes of restoring the residence to its former beauty, but he said he found out that it was too far gone after beginning the work to try to save it.
The home, located at 219 E. Jefferson Street, was built after the fire that wiped out downtown Yazoo City in 1904. Perry said the home and the large home right next door were built by two sisters.
Perry said he has years of experience renovating properties in Yazoo City, and he hoped this home would be another success story.
“Thirty years ago I bought my first property in the downtown area and remodeled, and I’ve probably done 10 more in the downtown area since then,” Perry said. “I’m very familiar with the older houses in this city, and that comes from working with my grandfather who had a lumber company here.”
Perry also had a personal connection to the historic home.
“I had a great aunt who lived in this house 40 years ago,” Perry said. “I helped move her belongings out of the house after she passed away.”
Perry said the property was in bad condition when he purchased it several years ago.
“The yard was grown up, and the house was in disrepair,” he said.
Perry said he knew that he was taking on a significant renovation project, but he did not realize how much water damage had been done to the home after its chimneys were knocked down by a storm.
“After buying it, I found more damage in the property,” Perry said. “I was hoping that it could be salvaged to turn it back to three apartments, which it was converted to from a single home around the 1930s. It would not be economically feasible to renovate the house itself. The more I got into it, the more water damage I found. All of this was documented as I went along.”
Perry said work came to a standstill about a year ago when he realized the home was beyond repair, but he has continued to maintain the property.
“I’ve cut the grass and tried to keep the home up so that it wasn’t a menace,” he said.
Perry said that although he would like to see the home preserved, he doesn’t think it’s possible.
“It really needs to be torn down,” he said. “It’s just not economically feasible to restore the house or do anything with it. It cannot be salvaged.”
Mayor Diane Delaware said that the city appreciates the history of the property, but it cannot be allowed to stand in its current state.
Perry said he intends to raze the home, but he would like to have as much time as possible with the understanding that he will continue to keep the grass cut and attend to other details as directed by the city.
“There are certainly issues that are not exactly my fault,” Perry said. “One of the problems is that the city isn’t maintaining the alleys. I have an office downtown that has items that have been sitting in the ally behind it for six months.”
“If we need to clean up our alleys we can do that,” Delaware said.
“It would help with this property,” Perry responded.
Perry said it could take up to six months to demolish the home.
“I’m not talking about keeping it cleaned up,” Perry said. “I’m talking about the time it would take to decide how to tear it down, and to find someone to help do the work. I’m not sure that it would take that long, but it could.”
Ward 2 Alderman Dr. Jack Varner asked if January 1, 2018 would be enough time to have the home torn down. Ward 4 Alderman Aubry Brent Jr. said that since the house has been standing since 1904 perhaps Perry should be given the full six months to take it down.
“If he needs more time, he can come back before this board,” Varner said.
Perry said he thinks January 1 will be enough time.
Building Inspector Russ Carter said that in the meantime the windows need to be boarded up, and those boards need to be painted white.
“That would get the neighbors satisfied for the time being,” Carter said.
The board voted to allow Perry to have until January 1 to tear the property down while addressing the city codes regarding vacant properties until that tim
