Thanks Emily. I always like hearing about history. Why has this apartment been such a mess for so long? If they bought it they must have had a plan for it at one time. What happened and why is it just been left sitting. You would think besides being an eyesore it would also be a liability problem if it is even insured

Joe, here's a little historical information about those pink apartments, if you are interested.

They were constructed in the 1920s or early 30s by Pat Yeon, proprietor of the Board of Trade Saloon, among others. Family members told me Pat was a bootlegger during Prohibition. His home was built where the Cigarette Store is now, and the concrete building on the southeast corner of the lot was built to hide his booze, according to his family members. (When I documented where all of the old sidewalk imprint stamps were located back in 1997, Pat's name was imprinted on both sets of concrete steps leading to where the house once stood. Those were removed when Super Ice Cream-now the Cigarette Store-was built, but I managed to get pictures of the imprints before they were removed.) Pat also had a large brick business building where IGA is now; it was called the Yeon Block. (I will post a picture of the building on High Line Heritage Resources Facebook page for you to look at.) He named the pink apartments after his wife, Virginia. My mother remembers when those apartments, as well as the ones just south (Ron Wolford had them at one time. I don't know who does now.) and the Woodrow Apartments on Fifth Avenue were very nice places, and there were waiting lists "a mile long" according to Mom of people wanting to live there. She said they went downhill fast after Section 8 was implemented.

A few years back, I took a peek inside (what I could see anyway) when one of the boarded up windows fell off and it was easy to see why they were at one time desirable, and if they were kept up they would still be-for those that like to live in early twentieth century housing, that is.

Both Yeons are interred in the Calvary section of the cemetery, just east of where Simon Pepin's huge headstone is located. Yeon's "partner in crime", C. W. "Shorty" Young, in interred close to the Yeon family.

If I get time this weekend, I will find the exact date of construction. It is in my files somewhere.

As a side note, I really don't have a leg to stand on to criticize others about their buildings, because I have an eyesore, too, but if business is good I plan on at least painting it next year so it isn't so crummy looking. The home is located at 124 Third Street, and the original owner, John Mathews, was a bookkeeper for Pat Yeon. Based on the number of old bottles, etc. found behind a false wall in the home, there were "benefits" to holding such a position during Prohibition.

Hey Cheap shot

Why don’t you try living or owning property in one of the neighborhoods where they stack all their junk and other refuse and see how you like it? Just for your information did you know there is no city ordinance in Havre that requires a person to keep his property in repair? There isn’t even an ordinance requiring the place to be boarded up so kids don’t get in and get hurt. I even checked with the fire department years back and there is absolutely nothing they can or will do even if it is a tender box waiting to become a catastrophe. The pink apts have been boarded up for over 15 years and the rest of their domain has been in a state of shabby disrepair for just as long.

It may not be an issue for you Cheap but it is for me and I won’t be supporting her

Is your comment a reference to Skornogoskis owning vacant rentals that are in disrepair? So what if skornogoskis like to collect junk and eyesores?

Is that really an issue for a legislative seat? What with the Hansen dissing handout and Joe bitching about junk the very first article he reads this could get ugly.

What happened to civil discourse

It would seem that the HDN has censored my comment on this story so let me politely rephrase the comment so it is politically correct for the HDN editorial people.

What will Representative Brenda Skornagoski do to encourage the cleaning up of blighted property and property people are using to store junk and trash? It is a problem that affects neighbors property values in Havre and throughout the state

Jim:
Tim Leeds did a story on a leaflet drop the state Democratic Party did that was critical of Kris Hansen. It wasn't a hit piece. Kim Skornogoski is Brenda's daughter. For many years she was a reporter at the rival Great Falls Tribune. She no longer is.
John Kelleher

Aren’t Skornogoski’s the people that own the abandoned pink junkie apartment building on Second Street between McLains and the IGA store? And the ones responsible for all the junk on the east end of town across from the L & L carwash?

Yea I can tell they are good management material. Where do the democrats find these people?

way to go Brenda.

I now see why Tim ran the Anti-Hansen hit piece a few days ago. Isn't Skornogoski the mother of Tim's comrade Kim in the newspaper business?

Let me say that I don't know Brenda and she may be wonderful but shouldn't she just run on her own merits without Tim Leeds assisting her under the pretense of some made up news feature? I will not forget that dirty hit piece you published as news Tim (and John)

If she couldn't beat Bob Kaftan she has no hope to beat Kris. What a joke.