The 1978 suburban split-level home was so wrecked that the owner, and then the bank, walked away from it.
Now Coon Rapids is left to clean up the mess.
In a rare move, the city will tear down a Carter-era home that was first abandoned by its owner and then the bank that held the mortgage note. Crews could start razing the house in the next few weeks, now that an Anoka County judge has signed off on the demolition.
Workers removed asbestos from the house on Monday in preparation for the work.
"It's not anything anybody wants," said Gregory Brady, Coon Rapids' chief building official. "It's a tough problem to solve.
"It's unfair to the neighbors. It attracted so much attention. You see a boarded-up house. That is a negative image. All these other people are doing their due diligence and taking care of their property. One is languishing. You have to take action."
Many suburbs, including Coon Rapids, have introduced a series of carrots — home improvement programs and grants — to promote neighborhood investment while wrestling with aging housing stock. But sometimes suburban leaders also resort to using a stick — often stricter code enforcement, sometimes even demolition.
It's taken the city five years to get to the point of razing 9910 Linnet St., in a neighborhood near the Mississippi River and Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park. Officials said forfeitures are rare, and then usually it's for a much older home.