The Unchecked Movement of 'Worthless' Buildings
A local editor slams lax city ordinances after a businessman relocates a derelict building into the heart of Yakima.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mr. Hyman has bought the old building that was located near the railroad house and is moving half of it onto Second street to increase his rooming house business. It was supposed that Yakima had fire limits, but the ordinance has been tinkered with to fit the wants of individuals until now it is almost wholly without value. It is to be hoped the city council will attend to this matter at once, and have an ordinance drawn up that is sound and will prevent a Hyman, a Lewis, or an Eshelman from moving around worthless old shells of buildings. Yakima has grown too great to answer to the beck and nod of any individual.
“Yakima has grown too great to answer to the beck and nod of any individual.”
This 1889 complaint about private property owners relocating 'worthless shells' echoes today's ongoing debates in Yakima regarding zoning, the impact of older boarding houses on neighborhood character, and the struggle to balance private development rights against broader civic infrastructure and aesthetics.
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