92 Second Street FOR SALE

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 10:49 am

The Murder House at ninety two Second Street is up for sale.

Unluckily I just have one million, five hundred thousand in the bank. Not enough money to purchase the 'homicide wonderland' since they are asking two mil. I wish

https://fallriverreporter.com/iconic-li ... -market-2/

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 11:44 am

Also for sale is the Davenport House next door to Maplecroft. In the Zillow site below you will find photos of the interior. All the renovation of the first and second floor, including decoration of walls, was done by your's truly when I use to own the place.

So at the moment Maplecroft, Ninety Two Second Street, and the Davenport House are all for sale. All owned by Lizzie at one time or another.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/328- ... 4162_zpid/?

Picture below is of Mapelcroft and the Davenport house compliments to Google Maps.

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:10 pm

At the time I was living there, I received an estimate of 15,000 dollars to renovate the porch by itself. The porch post by themselves were going to cost seven or eight grand alone (if I remember correctly) since I wanted them duplicated new. So I renovated the porch myself and saved sixty percent of the original porch posts. The bottom portions were cut off, gone, and replaced long ago. I had to build new ones. Ultimately, the cost of the porch came down to around five grand.(or perhaps less, since memory fails me) Lots and lots of labor and that is where I saved. I think Lizzie and Mrs Davenport would be happy with the finished product.

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:19 pm

The Davenport porch posts were rotted and replaced long ago. I had to build new bases and make them fit. A challenge for a novice carpenter.

Just some eye candy below, since this thread is really about the sale of Ninety Two Second Street.

camgarsky4 · Post by **camgarsky4** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 5:41 pm

MB -- Pretty darn nice work by a novice or a pro! Impressive. Your house looks beautiful.

The LB B&B must cash flow amazingly well to justify a $2mm price tag! Probably way outside the budgets of the city or historical society.

The article implied Borden furnishings were included....is there much of their stuff remaining?

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:26 pm

Yes

All the furnishings at 92 are period, nice, but nothing to write home about or historical from 1892. They have a healthy collection of Lizzie Borden signed books from her library. Interesting to know if those go with the sale.

I have mentioned this several times here on the forum, but I was given a tour of 92 over 45 years ago. Only the first floor. The second floor had someone living there. At the time there were two apartments. The first floor apartment had been empty for some time back in the early nineteen seventies. It was an informal tour given me by the printing company next door. The place was dirty and old, with a very old kitchen. It didn't look lived in for quite a while. The kitchen probably dated back to the early forties or fifties. But well post Lizzie. At the time I had a wiring job for the printing company, and dare I mention, just about Zero interest in Lizzie or the house. But the owner of the printing company appeared eager to show me the place and I obliged, but with polite if not insincere interest.

In the photo below I think the signed copies of Lizzie's books from her library are the ones in plastic. There was also a theft at the house where one (or two) signed books were stolen.

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:39 pm

Thanks for the kind words camgarsky4.

Been tinkering with wood all my life.

I built the house I live in with little to no help. Took me over three years and yet not finished, completely. Today I just finished building a book case for my Lizzie Book Collection. Will start painting it this week.

Below is a picture of the house and as far as I got building the roof before I fell off and broke some ribs and my wrist. When a 65 year old slides off the roof and crashes to the ground he is bound to break something.Winter was setting in so I had to have a company come in and finish sheathing the roof and placing up the asphalt shingles.

The other photo is of my built-in Lizzie Borden Book Case ready for paint.

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:49 pm

Did I mention that Ninety Two is for sale?

camgarsky4 · Post by **camgarsky4** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:27 pm

Can't imagine they will be able to sell that for $2mm unless they rent those rooms for $100's per nite and have super high occupancy rates.

Falling that far, you are fortunate you 'only' broke some ribs. Sometimes better to pay someone else and live to see another day!! :)

How many books in your Lizzie collection?

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:29 pm

Yes:

I have scaled down my collection since I moved out of Fall River. Also sold some books and gave many away. Had many duplicates in different editions both English and American. Right now I have about Sixty volumes on the shelf and another Sixty or so stored away in boxes.

Below is a photo of my Borden Collection from an article I wrote for the Hatchet A Journal of Lizzie Borden and Victorian Studies.

http://lizzieandrewborden.com/HatchetOn ... izzie.html

Except for the first photo in the article, all the books pictured in the piece are part of my collection.

Steveads2004 · Post by **Steveads2004** » Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:07 pm

$2 million? Its not for sale its just looking for more attention.

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Thu Mar 25, 2021 8:48 am

Looks like 92 Second Street was just sold this week.

https://fallriverreporter.com/lizzie-bo ... new-owner/

(One of, if not the most popular, tourist attractions in the Fall River area has been sold. The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast Museum has found a new owner and his name is Lance Zaal. Zaal went in front of the Fall River Licensing Board Wednesday for a Lodging House/Common Victuallers license for the property at 230 Second Street.

A California and Virginia resident, Zaal currently owns and operates several businesses that he founded or co-founded, including iTourMobile, King of Clubs Coffee and Brewing Company, and 15 tourism and entertainment based businesses across thirteen cities. The businesses include US Ghost Adventures which are walking haunted tours that are hosted in NYC, Williamsburg, New Orleans, Boston, Salem, Gettysburg, DC, Savannah, Charleston, Key West, St. Augustine, and Las Vegas.)

Rolie Polie · Post by **Rolie Polie** » Fri Mar 26, 2021 3:46 pm

Let's wait for the contract to be signed by all parties ;) I'm very interested in Lizzie and I think that in later life she seems to be a likeable person, at least from what I've read. Maybe a couple of neighbor disagreements, which my own family has had to deal with. The building contractor next door in NY comes to mind, who replaced the fence between our properties even though it was faced in the correct direction and indicated that it was our own fence; faced it as his own; then pushed it back into our property an additional 5 feet, all the way across the property line. Wasn't he clever... We had a survey done and he fixed the problem. I understand the letter thing all too well. I don't think I would purchase the house on 2nd St. Too dark a history and too many, let's say, 'things' have been invited in there by people who don't know which end is up- which I do believe in. And I'd make it private again. But all of you would be invited to come over! The lookey-loos would drive me batty as they probably did Emma and Lizzie.

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 12:05 am

The fact that 92 is still standing is both a fluke and surprising, since much of what was just north of it was demolished in mass urban development, including the Bowen, Churchill, and Russell homes. Lizzie's home did not survive because someone saw the value in historical property. It was just lucky. Look at what they did to the Kelly house next door. A charming Cape Cod Bungalow, swallowed by commercial appendages and gruesome construction. The same was true with 92 when the printing works was built up around it. That being so, the success of the printing company probably helped the building survive.

Income property in Fall River has skyrocketed in the past four or five years as those north of Fall River anticipate the coming of South Coast Rail, the train to Boston. There has been talk of a train for twenty years and finally it should arrive in Fall River by next year. New train stations are being built as we speak. So those who live in or near Boston and paying crazy money for property will find Fall River attractive and be able to commute to work in the big city.

To give you an idea. I sold my Three family home just over three years ago. The fellow who purchased it just sold it once again, last week, for over 200,000 dollars more than I sold it to him for. (If only I held out a little longer) Though single family homes are holding there own in value, income property is going up like crazy.

If 92 Second Street was turned back into a two or three family home, as income property it would be worth between four and five hundred thousand.

Below is a couple shots of the Kelly Bungalow. As it was and as it stands today.

Rolie Polie · Post by **Rolie Polie** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 3:56 pm

As I watch the videos and see photos in different places around the house, this area looks a little sad now- to me. Life hasn't treated 2nd St and its vicinity so well since 1892. She just left in time, but I find myself wondering what life would have been like for Lizzie during the Depression. I'm assuming that this area was hit pretty hard.

Rolie Polie · Post by **Rolie Polie** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 12:43 pm

Oh boy... you may not like who is under contract to purchase 2nd Street house.... a continuance of ghosts...

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 8:44 am

Second Street has sold for two Mil.

Story in NY Post below.

Hang on to your hat.

https://nypost.com/2021/04/05/lizzie-bo ... QWlnqUndX4

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 9:41 am

Though it is reported that Second Street has sold, (as in the Post story in the 'posting' above) the information is not reflected at the registry of deeds office/site. When a property sells, the sale is usually recorded and indicated on the same day or the very next. Though the news that Second Street has sold is all over the papers, there is no document proof to the public as of this morning that it has actually changed hands. We shall see.

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon Apr 12, 2021 2:26 pm

Update

Rumor mill has it that 92 Second Street has not sold at all, even though it is being highly publicized in newspapers as being so, but is in fact just under agreement. As of today the sale is still not registered with the Department of Deeds, which substantiates as much.

From what I have discovered, through idle talk, and this is not written in dirt let alone stone, is that the Borden house is only under agreement while the buyer is struggling to get up the money to purchase it. It is suspected that he is one of these "ventured entrepreneurs, a measured capitalist, who goes around buying or trying to buy business with other people's money or investments. His website either proves that he is enormously successful, rich, or persuasive. Or perhaps a ruse. We shall see.

Those in the know when it comes to all things "paranormal," and this is just echoed opinion, is that the buyer has a bad reputation when it comes to the business of spooks or ghosts, and that in many of the cities where he has listed on his site as giving ghost tours that they have no proof that any have been actually given. Whether any of this is true or just talk, still the the gossip is out there and has filtered down to my ears. Perhaps we should kneel in front of 2nd Street and pray to the ghost of Lizzie for the truth. Boo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JteosyjBGtw

Franz · Post by **Franz** » Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:08 pm

Wow, I never realized that the door of the guest room is so large (cf. the picture in NYP). Was it so in 1892?

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:18 pm

Not so Franz. The image you see has been distorted by the focal length of the lens used, giving you what they use to call in the world of photography a fisheye effect. A very wide angle lens. The opening is closer to the size of the door in the picture.

If you think that opening is large, check out the opening between the sitting room, kitchen, and parlor. Again. Not so.

Franz · Post by **Franz** » Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:39 pm

Hello MB, how are you?

The white house behind the Borden's seems attractive. Was it Dr. Chignon's house? or is it a "new" house built late? (Cf. one of the pictures in NYP; I failed to make any attachment with my cell phone.)

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:35 pm

Fine Franz

I trust you are keeping yourself healthy. After all, you do live in God's kitchen.

The White House behind the Lizzie house was built in 1900. It is known as the Robert Baillie house. Baillie owned a clothing store on South Main Street in the early 19 hundreds. Today it is a three family with an apartment on each level.

The (white) Baillie house was built in the Chagnon yard or pear orchard right next door to the actual Chagnon building. The Chagnon house was really directly behind the Churchill house.

If you were to jump the fence in Lizzie's back yard back in 1892 you would land in the pear orchard, which I believe was part of Dr. Chagnon's property.

You can see this in the map below: Number 18 was the Borden house, number 19 the Churchill house, number 27 Dr. Chagnon's house, and number 26 is Chagnon's pear orchard. Also seen is number 17 the Kelly house and number 25 the Kelly barn, which was very large and extended onto Third Street.

Nice talking to you, Franz.

Franz · Post by **Franz** » Tue Apr 13, 2021 7:39 am

Thank you HB for your help.

Steve88778 · Post by **Steve88778** » Sun May 23, 2021 8:45 pm

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Fri May 28, 2021 7:34 pm

Sale of 92 Second Street has closed and finally sold this week for One million two hundred thousands. It is now official. Took a while.

Steve88778 · Post by **Steve88778** » Fri May 28, 2021 7:57 pm

HI !!

mbhenty · Post by **mbhenty** » Sat May 29, 2021 7:20 pm

Yes

Hello

There are whacky changes coming down to the old Borden House.

So, get this.

From what I understand, parking for patrons in the yard for 92 will be eliminated. Patrons will need to find street parking. The new owner is hoping the city will let patrons park in the city parking garage for free. Now there's a business plan. Just this past week there was a gang/type shooting just three or four blocks from 92, where three people were shot in the street and two died.

The shooting happened at Griffin park, a small park built on the old site for the James Davenport School. This information comes easy to me since I use to own James Davenports house on French Street, right next door to Maplecorft.

Just South of 92 is the Corky Row Historical District. Not the safest place to go walking at night. There are parking meters up and down second Street, and I would not trust my car on the street anywhere near 92 at night. I understand that the old Lizzie place is short on land, but good luck finding a place to park if you stay there. Though the parking garage fee would be a tiny fraction of what it would cost to stay at the Bed and Breakfast.

All-in-all I hope they make a go of it. After all, it's what Fall River needs.... new blood.

In that respect Fall River is like New York. If you can make it there you can make it anywhere.

https://www.heraldnews.com/story/busine ... 456810002/

Rolie Polie · Post by **Rolie Polie** » Sat May 29, 2021 8:58 pm

Guests will want a safe place for their cars or a safe place to walk from if they have to park away from the property. It's always been the live people who worry me ;) The current plan is not ideal, to me. I hope that the new owner has a good go at it and doesn't suck the soul out of it with silly stuff. I like his idea to encourage more of the locals to visit.
For everyone's sake, I hope that Fall River doesn't get on the defund the police bandwagon.

Steve88778 · Post by **Steve88778** » Thu Jun 17, 2021 9:21 pm

Beowulf · Post by **Beowulf** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 12:25 pm

I have heard from a friend who has been there it is not such a nice neighborhood. That is a shame. Yes, let's not defund the police. Stupidest idea.

But the first time Lizzie moved, did she sell the house on 92 second street? To who? I was wondering how she could manage to sell the house in 1893 with the story of the murders being so fresh. I guess you can always sell a house.

camgarsky4 · Post by **camgarsky4** » Sat Jul 10, 2021 1:09 pm

B - Emma and Lizzie continued to own 92 Second St and didn’t sell for another 25 years or so. I’m away from my records and don’t recall exact year. Interesting tidbit, the sisters actually rented Second St to Hiram lubinsky! Another bizarre coincidence (assuming it was a coincidence).

Steve88778 · Post by **Steve88778** » Sun Jul 11, 2021 9:17 am

Lizzie and Emma sold the house on Second Street to John W. Dunn on June 15, 1918 -
And I have read of people saying that the area is kind of like a slum. So. 2M dollars for a house in that area is way out of line esp. when you see homes today in Fall River going for about 400K.
Only a fool that thinks he would make money would buy this weirdo home for that price, IMO. I certainly wouldn't pay to stay in a ghetto overnight. But there might be die hard Lizzie fans that are curious.

Beowulf · Post by **Beowulf** » Sun Jul 11, 2021 4:22 pm

Oh, so that makes sense, they rented it out. Thank you.

Beowulf · Post by **Beowulf** » Sun Jul 11, 2021 4:43 pm

I have no idea if they can make money back but 2mil seems pretty exorbitant, antiques, updates and all but I think that B&B was always full on Aug 4.

Steve88778 · Post by **Steve88778** » Mon Jul 12, 2021 12:00 pm

I think it's really sad when people pay money to sleep in a house that is tied into a terrible tragedy - a double tragedy at that. And people actually ask to stay in the guest room.
MapleCroft is a nice looking home, but with all of the sadness that was experienced in that place - it would give me the creeps to even entertain the thought of buying it. Maybe that's why it has changed hands so many times. These 2 creepy homes are interesting at best, just historical places and that's it IMO.

camgarsky4 · Post by **camgarsky4** » Mon Jul 12, 2021 1:50 pm

If spending the night is the requirement to gain access to the interior of the house, I would do it enthusiastically.

This crime has fascinated and consumed a good chunk of my time over the past year. The opportunity to actually visualize and understand distances, dimensions, flow, etc. would be a windfall for theory validation and likely the birth of a bunch of new ideas. .

Now if access to the house does not require staying overnight, I would choose that option.

Beowulf · Post by **Beowulf** » Tue Jul 13, 2021 12:58 pm

I think they allow you to just tour the place. One of the things about the B&B is though you would obtain a room for the night you must allow for the tours in the daytime, so it's advised you secure your belongings during their going through your room or be in the room at the time. However the tours are all day long so I assume that is a problem for some. I know it would bug me.

camgarsky4 · Post by **camgarsky4** » Tue Jul 13, 2021 1:38 pm

Agree. Probably opt for the tour and just be that person who is lagging behind.

Steve88778 · Post by **Steve88778** » Tue Jul 13, 2021 8:38 pm

I seen a 360 degree walk through at Maplecroft when it was for sale - It might still be available. They should do it to the 2nd Street place so we can all see it.

Farewell street · Post by **Farewell street** » Wed Jul 21, 2021 1:15 pm

43 Farewell St house in Newport Ri is now for sale after an extensive renovation. This house had the famous picture of Lizzie on the front porch.

Rolie Polie · Post by **Rolie Polie** » Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:56 pm

I can see why Lizzie wanted to go to Newport. I think that the photo you're talking about was one of the few photos available of Lizzie prior to the Elizabeth Montgomery film in 1975. It seems to me that back in the 1960s and early 70's, the Lizzie Borden story was a desert. It was just a photo and blurb in my kiddo history books. Silver lining??? ;) It took the freakin' pandemic to catch me up to current historical knowledge.