Neighborhood from page 8
loan. The money served as the seed loan
for local laborers to rehab one unit. In
exchange, for the month of June, three
Chicago organizers got to live and work in
the rehabbed unit for free during the social
forum. After they moved out, the plan
was to rent the unit to generate monthly
income.
Friends of Spaulding employs another
method to raise funds each month.
Soup At Spaulding
Once a month, Spaulding Court is the site
of a neighborhood get-together for dozens
of nearby residents, young entrepreneurs
and city activists. They come for "Soup
at Spaulding;' a micro-fundraising and
community-building dinner that works to
raise seed money for projects in Corktown,
including the rehabilitation of Spaulding
Court.
Dinner is $5 and includes soup, salad
and bread, with adult beverages also avail-
able for purchase. The bread is donated by
Avalon Bakery in Midtown, co-owned by
Jackie Victor, who knows Koller through
the Downtown Synagogue.
"It's incredible to see how Jon and
Hannah are directly impacting the neigh-
borhood for no other reason than to make
things better for other people,"Victor said.
"Why wouldn't we want to help?"
10 February 23 • 2012
During the gathering, two to four pre-
senters pitch ideas for funding. Examples
include a drum and dance troupe that
needed more drums, a young woman hop-
ing to encourage Bridge Card holders to
use their benefits at local farmers markets
and a person looking for money to start a
mushroom farm.
The dinner guests vote for a winning
project that gets half the money collected
at the door. Friends of Spaulding Court
then makes mini-fundraising videos for
each project with half the money from the
online fundraising effort going to the proj-
ect. The other half goes to pay for materi-
als and labor at Spaulding Court.
The New Spaulding Court
There are two buildings, each with 10
units — front door, back door, nice base-
ments. The south building has a new roof,
new electrical service and a new water
main.
Financially, the nonprofit has a debt load
of $90,000, "but we make our payments:'
Koller said. "We're in good shape'
Five of the units in the south building
are occupied. One serves as a community
space or a place for people to crash on a
short-term basis, such as those who help
out around the neighborhood.
In May 2011, the first completely reno-
vated Spaulding Court townhouse was
rented out. It offered "a little bit of luxury
in North Corktown," Koller said. The refur-
bished unit has hardwood floors and
Italian tile throughout. The kitchen features
marble countertops and stainless steel
trim, while the upstairs offers three modest
bedrooms with original wood doorways.
The full bath upstairs features an Italian
tile shower, custom limestone trim work
and a porcelain sink. The unit also came
with free wireless Internet and is very well-
insulated, with heating bills running about
$50 a month during the winter.
"We offered a $450 discount for renters
who didn't have a car:' Koller said. "We
figured that would mean more disposable
income, which they'd be able to spend at
local businesses. It was our way of demon-
strating that you can do community devel-
opment in different ways:'
Mike Dakoske, a chef at Honest John's
in Midtown, read about that first unit
on Craigslist."When I walked in that
day, I knew I wanted to live there said
Dakoske, 38, who had spent many years in
Hamtramck, Ferndale and St. Clair Shores
before looking for a place in the city.
"I wouldn't have been able to afford it
without the $450 break': said Dakoske,
who sold his car after moving in. He's able
to walk back and forth to work. "I feel
blessed to have found this community."
Dakoske now acts as "soup chef" for the
monthly fundraisers.
Dakoske said he likes the way Koller
works within each tenant's circumstances.
"One family, who lives in two units of the
building, has been here for more than 10
years:' he said. "My other neighbor, who
works at the farm and serves as grounds-
keeper, puts up interns in his unit during
the summer:'
Dakoske just got more new neighbors:
three young artists and students who
signed an eight-year lease on the other
unit being rehabbed, doing the finishing
work such as the flooring and tiling them-
selves before they moved in last month.
The group will contribute all the materi-
als and labor required to finish the place.
In exchange, they'll receive free rent for a
year and low rent for the subsequent seven--
years.
Sam Newman, 24, is one of those new
neighbors. He and roommates Jane Orr
and Zane Hettinga had heard about
Spaulding from their monthly soup events.
They met with Jon and saw the unfinished
unit.
"We were looking for a way we could
exchange our skills — we all have back-
grounds in art and labor — for a living
space Newman said. "The agreement we
worked out was a result of a long conversa-
tion between us, Jon and the Friends of
Spaulding Court. The result, we hope, is a
way that we can all provide value to each
other while exchanging money as little as
possible."
The Greater Mission
Koller said that Friends of Spaulding Court
has a social mission as well. "Socially,
there was this real divide about Spaulding
Court being separate from the neighbor-
hood:' Koller said. "A lot of the old-timers
saw it as a really exclusive, separate space.
Our goal was to bring those people to
Spaulding Court and to bring Spaulding
Court residents into the broader neighbor-
hood."
The organization's official mission is to
promote the strength and diversity of the
neighborhood, which sits a block away
from Brother Nature Farm and a commu-
nity garden. Those in the neighborhood
can see chickens pecking in nearby yards,
open fields, veggie gardens, even apiaries
where some neighbors tend bees.
"Spaulding Court is an awesome public
space with garden beds:' added Koller, who
plans to expand the gardens next year.
"It's like living in the country in the city:'
Dakoske said.
The area has many small businesses,
Koller added, including a whole bunch of
new shops, bars and restaurants within
a two-block walk. There is no more gun-
running, and drug-running is down sig-
nificantly as well.
"We've only just moved in and are
still getting to know the neighborhood:'
Newman said, "but its a lot quieter and
more relaxed than our previous place
Downtown on Woodward where the three
of us lived together."
Dakoske had been warned about the
neighborhood by friends and family before
moving in. They told him it was "too dan-
gerous," but he said he hasn't noticed any
crime and was surprised by the quiet of
Spaulding Court. "You can hear crickets:'
he said.
"It's a new kind of city here, where
a landmark of fear can be adopted by
`friends," Koller said. ❑
The view from Spaulding Court. "It's
like living in the country in the city,"
said resident Mike Dakoske.