I guess the only people living in McKennan Park are a Planning Commission members family and the mayor’s daughter

1. Did the city pay for that? If they did I am appalled

2. Citylink media put it together. I am not appalled, it does have some historical background in it. But it is certainly pretty cheesy. I live about 3/4 mile from the park, and walk or ride bike there several times a week during the summer. I like the park, but they painted the neighborhood like it some kind of Nirvana. I laughed when the one lady said, “I like the diversity of the neighborhood.” At first, I’m like WHAT!? Then she says, the houses look different (architecture) and there is young and old people. she left out the words rich and white.

3. The music is irritating and it never snows there. What’s best about the neighborhood is you can build a house on the lot line and higher than any other home.

4. I like the “re-enactment architecture” which is beginning to take place in the McKennan Park area, myself……jk

   The new home across from the northwest corner of the park and a course the infamous yellow thing are nice homes in their own right, but they are a lie to the architectural history of that area of town.

   It is not enough to just preserve a particular form of architecture or period of history. You must also preserve the history of housing development in a given area to give a fair preservation of a neighborhoods history. To suggest some houses can be removed in order to beautify a neighborhood with a greater presence of historic architectural statement is to turn a historic area into a bidding war or arms race of who can build even better or bigger versus preserving the true history of a historic area or neighborhood.

   History speaks of what was, but when you allow this re-enactment of history, or in this case architectural history, to take place with its own self licensing, which is not authentic or a pure renovation, then you are no longer preserving what was, rather you are preserving what some wish it to be or can afford to make it at the expense of the deserving right of the many to a more truthful and historical statement….

5. I am glad to see that the old Hassenstein home at the southwest corner of 21st Street and Second Avenue is being restored rather than demolished.

   Also, true of the Sylvia Henkin home on Second Avenue (restored and now occupied by her granddaughter’s family).

   It will be interesting to see what is built on the vacant lot at the corner of 26th Street and 4th Avenue (hopefully city officials do a better job of monitoring this property than what they did with the Yellow Monstrosity on Second Avenue across from the park).

6. Anonymous, I totally agree. I forgot about the property at 26th and 4th Ave. I am afraid that will be another example of “historical re-enactment,” too.

   The house that once stood there was quite unique with its precarious addition, which hung out over the driveway as I recall.

   History should not be something for the rich to just play with. Each house tells a story about its neighborhood and absence safety or health concerns all of the homes within a historic neighborhood should be preserved as is.

   I believe it was Napoleon who once said that history is written by the winners. Well, those who have the funds to change the history of a neighborhood may be the “winners,” but the history they ignore or destroy is too self evident in the case of a historical neighborhood and they are fooling no one in their own time; but they are re-enacting history with an immense form of self licensing….

   Designated historical neighborhoods are to be preserved. They are not to be turned into merely an investment opportunity just for some. Where an arms race of “Keeping up with the Jones” becomes the new co-opted mission for what were once rightfully assumed protected neighborhoods.

7. The mayor’s daughter and planning commission has already destroyed the neighborhood. If you’re not a member of that club, you don’t belong there. Citation them out of town. Without their history, there will be important historical preservation and significance. There should be room for them on Huether’s lake 70 miles away.

8. Was Ms. McKennon also someone’s future exwife prude?

9. “Every city has a central park …” In Boom Town I would think this would be Van Eps Park ? Or Heritage Park ?

10. Oh c’mon – his lake is only 45 miles away from work!

    https://www.google.com/maps/dir/43.8443096,-97.0898304/43.5473545,-96.7293574/@43.6957177,-97.0501933,35882m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m2!4m1!3e0

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