It’s a luxury and a great feeling to own your own home regardless of how small or big it is. The cost of a home isn’t cheap. Added to the renovation and various fixtures, fittings, and furnishing, the final bill can be quite steep. This is one of the main reasons why house owners don’t like letting go of homes when the government or private commercial projects want to requisition your home for demolition. There is a lot of sentimental value attached to a home to which is why these 10 people refused to leave their homes inspite of being offered large sums of money. Ultimately, the projects were built around which is what you have to see.
Edith Macefield became a neighborhood hero when she refused to give up her UP style little farmhouse in 2006 to make way for a commercial venture in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. She even turned down a staggering offer of $1 million. Ultimately the five-story complex was built around her 108-year-old farmhouse in which she lived until her death in 2008 at the age of 86. Macefiled left her house to her friend's and construction superintendent Barry Martin.
Her story was very similar to the story line of the animation movie UP where an aging widow’s house had been surrounded by commercial development. Disney even attached a bunch of balloons to Macefield’s house in 2009 as a promo for the movie. In the same year Martin sold the house for $ 310,000 to a real estate dealer Greg Pinneo.
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In 2011 Chinese homeowner Luo Baogen made world headlines when he refused to give up his property in Wenling China to make way for a highway. He claimed that the compensation for relocation was too low. Lucky for him modified Chinese rules now state that homeowners cannot be forced to leave their properties without an agreement. The house was partly demolished and the highway built around it. Although all of the tenants vacated the building, Luo and his wife remained.
In December 2012 after a couple of months, Luo Finally relented after authorities offered him a higher compensation of 260,000 Yuan or $41,000. The house was demolished soon after.
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The million dollar corner refers to a five storey building that stands on the corner of Macy’s on 34th street and Broadway and which had been purchased by Robert. H. Smith in 1900 for $375,000. That was a huge sum in those days equal to approx $10.8 million today. The reason for purchasing the house was to retain it so that it would obstruct the construction of Macys or to stop it from becoming the world’s largest store.
Macy’s ignored the structure and built around it. Today the building still remains and also carries Macy’s banner which reads “The world’s largest store”.
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Among people who refused to leave their homes, Austin Spriggs was offered $3 million for his architectural firm which stood right in the middle of commercial projects during the height of the estate boom in Washington. Developers were constantly in and out of his office doubling and tripling their offers to almost $3 million but Spriggs didn’t budge. Instead he wanted to turn the place into a pizzeria. The area was a hot choice for developers wanting to construct swanky condominiums but Spriggs was in the way.
The foolish Spriggs became the talk of Washington having refused what would have been a golden lottery ticket. Within Four years large condos and apartment buildings sprung up around Spriggs house but Spriggs never ever got to open his Pizzeria. Instead his house was ultimately reclaimed through foreclosure by the Adams National Bank who sold it by Auction to a developer for $750,000. No one knows what happened to Spriggs.
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Wu Ping became somewhat of a celebrity when she held out to Development Company trying to requisition and demolish her house to make way for a supermarket in Chongqing China. Wu’s house stood defiantly right in the middle of the construction site even as skyscrapers sprung up all around her home. Along with Wu, 281 families rejected compensation for new homes and to move from the site in 2004. At one point of time eve her utilities were cut off. Her house was finally demolished on April 4th 2007 but this time she received a huge settlement of 1 million Yuan and a new apartment.
Wu’s story was reported in tabloids across the world and she became an instant celebrity overnight where she has also appeared on TV shows.
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In cities across China, there were several incidents where people refused to vacate their houses to make way for developing projects so the construction started and was completed around them. They became known as “Nail Houses” as they stuck out like a nail that refused to be hammered down. One of the most famous nail houses was in Chongqing Western China.
The home owner even hung the country’s national flag around his home as a mark of protest. When the developer was refused an offer, he started constructed around the house in 2007. The owners finally came to an agreement and the house was demolished in April 2007.
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This is another example of a nail house in Yanning street, Nanning, Guangxi province China in April 2015, when this man refused to cow down to authorities and move out of his home to make way for a road. The road was built with his home standing in the middle of it.
An agreement was finally reached and the house demolished after the owner relented and accepted compensation after a month.
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Zheng Neiju’s house was almost on the verge of demolition when she stopped it in Ruian Zhejiang province, China on July 2013. Zheng refused to move out because of the paltry compensation made by the developer wanting to build business plaza. Her water and electricity was also cut off but she did not relent and was unwilling to give in. It was reported that she continued living in the half demolished building without amenities.
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This incident happened in Taiyuan Shanxi province China in December 2012 where a family refused to move their property that was used as a graveyard. Even as the arguments continued between owner and developer, workers began construction around the site. The 10 meter high mound was eventually relocated after an agreement was reached and the developer paid 800 Yuan.
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This is one stubborn owner among people who refused to leave their homes. His little shack finally became part of the premises in a shopping mall in Changsha China in November 13, 2007. He was so adamant that he also opened up a shop selling garments in the lower area of his home.
Image Source: www.theatlantic.com
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