Browning's mansion for sale.

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mljdeckard

mljdeckard

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In a part of Utah that resembles Tattooine.
I was posting in the thread titled something to the effect of: "I thought I knew John M. Browning", when it was mentioned that his mansion here in Ogden is up for sale. I drove by and looked at it, it is surrounded by cheap apartments in a lousy neighborhood, and the asking price is optimistic to say the least. This place needs a LOT of work.

But I've thought a lot about it a lot for the past couple of days. The likely conclusion is that a developer will buy it cheap and turn it into apartments. It is a state historical site, so it must have some degree of protection, but I am at a loss as to how to go about approaching someone like Browning Inc, (FNH,) the NRA, the Browning Museum, or any other shooting entity to buy it and restore it. I'm afraid that their answer will be; "We already know, and we decided it's not worth it to us."

Does anyone else have any ideas?

(Oh, I forgot the link,)

http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/07/house-for-sale.html
 
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I would hope for something like that. There is already a Browning Museum downtown, I was thinking that maybe they could open it as a seperate site, with more life-related exhibits, something like that. But like I say, they certainly know it's for sale already, and if they were interested in doing something like this, why haven't they moved yet?
 
How about a museum? Maybe funds are available from various gov't and local orgs?????
Click to expand...

I don't like my tax money being spent on things like that. That's a job for the private sector. Might be a pretty hard sell anyway. I would imagine a large percentage of folks have never heard of him and a certain percentage of those who had wish he was never born. I don't know what purpose restoring it would serve. If they already have a museum then it's not like they could charge admission to walk through an old house that's been upgraded with commercial kitchen appliances. I think it's probably destined for a bed and breakfast with a nice plaque in the front yard.
 
Oh my! Less than $375,000 for a beautiful 7,000 square foot Romanesque revival mansion like that?

It would bring more than a million near here. (Even now, after the real estate crash).

If there's already a museum, that will be a tough route to go. I'm sure that museum's B.O.D. is well aware of the house and must have already passed on being able to do anything with it.

Have you sat down to figure out which guns he may have designed while living there?

-Sam
 
Maybe get it moved to a new site so the developers can build more section 8 housing and it can be relocated......like to Browning's Utah HQ?????????

Where IS Browning on this issue? I would be starting there
 
Is this the original home of J.M.B? If so then it should be preserved,with tax dollars,or
what ever funds are available,if we can sit back and relax,knowing that A healthy amount of tax dollars are being waisted in the likes of afghanistan and Iraq.If people
don't know about Mr Browning maybe they should,after all there breathing the air of freedom,because of him.I bet just one day of money spent in afghanistan,could refurbished
this home to the likes of the white house.Just if Mr browning had never been born,we all
would be speaking fluent Germain,and walking around with outstretched arms.So remember,it's better to be thought A fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.
 
His oldest son and head of the business for many years, Val, died several years ago. He was a well-known philanthropist I happened to meet several times. I'm not sure who owns it, there were a couple of vehicles parked behind it, a white van and a white SUV, I think. It does say that it had been used as a Y.W.C.A. house at one time.
 
Wow! In this area it would probably go for a couple of million. With a good iron fence around it, to keep out the rifraf, it would probably make a great house for some well to do contractor. Utah has lots of construction people, so updating the wiring and plumbing and making it liveable would probably be really easy for the right guy. I just don't like that exterior stairway. That looks like a security weak point. If at all possible and legal, I would remove it.
Mauserguy
 
I don't want my tax money used for that either. If there is enough support for renovation and maintenance, those interested should anty up and purchase it. How many people have complained in the past, about what other states have used stimulus money for? If someone wants to build a shrine to JMB, let him spend his own money. If JMB's decendants didn't care enough to keep up the mansion, why should state or any Federal funds be thrown into that money pit? By all accounts, most of us regular folks are living in a time of austarity. I'm guessing JMB's family isn't...
 
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bearmgc,

But at the same time, how many other pet projects do your tax dollars go to? This site holds significance to both the state and the nation. I'm not saying I wouldn't prefer some private entity to take ownership, but I would rather see a federal grant save it than watch it get demolished or turned into housing for ex-cons.
 
No way. Saying that tax money has gone to other less "deserving" projects, does not justify this one. I prefer tax monies are used to repair infrastructure like roads and bridges, which in many states are crumbling. Buying an old mansion will not comfort me, when I hit a foot deep pothole or learn of a bridge collapsing. You know, some common sense during hard times, goes a long way. Look at California's idiocy at pissing away money, is like watching a 15yr old with a credit card. Smart people don't have to learn everything by experience. We can be vicarious learners here.
 
It's a part of American history and should be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. For less than a trip to Europe for some congressman and his wife so they can go shopping, this could easily be saved
 
With all the threads about what people have found in the attics of old homes, I really want to take a look through the rafters of that place.
 
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