King Arthur

Art Bowden, my former neighbor on Bassett Place and the founder of King Arthur's Pasties.

From the looks of the hill and the houses, this is when Art brought pasties to the masses in San Francisco.

The King Arthur's location near Atwood Stadium is pictured to the left.

Both photos are courtesy of Flintstoner80.

The auction has ended

For those of you keeping track, the house at 2406 Bassett Place for sale on eBay went for $12,600. There were 51 bids. For a sense of Flint real estate trends, here's the past sales figures going back to the seventies:

5/1/1979	$34,900.00	WARRANTY DEED CONVENTIONAL
8/1/1985	$33,600.00	WARRANTY DEED CONVENTIONAL
6/15/2004	$56,000.00	WARRANTY DEED CONVENTIONAL

Howdy, neighbor

This is 2406 Bassett Place, the former home of Art Bowden, the founder of King Arthur's Pasties. My old house is next door. You can see our garage on the right. I recently had a chance to reconnect with two of Art's daughters, Darcy and Lori, out of the blue. And now their old house is up for sale on ebay. The current high bid is $3,050.

The listing features a highly idealized (i.e. false) description of the Civic Park neighborhood and the rest of Flint...so idealized it claims that Michigan State University is just two miles from Bassett Place and that there are practically more churches than houses in the hood. It also indicates that the ideal buyer would be a proud, church-going college professor who loves to golf:

"This home is located on a residential street in the heart of Flint's historic Civic Park neighborhood, where the homes are well maintained and where neighbors and residents take great pride in their homes and their community...Additionally, the home is also located across the street from Bassett Park, a large community park in Flint with a community center and recreational activities and events for residents. All of these neighborhood amenities make this an ideal home for a family with young children...The home is also close to several colleges, and Universities, for example, Michigan State University, the University of Michigan at Flint, Kettering University and Mott Community College are all located within 2 miles of the home, making this an attractive location for students and professors alike. Additionally, within a mile of the home you will find 34 churches! — a testament to the character of the neighborhood. For golf aficionados, the attractive Mott Park Golf Course, a picturesque and well maintained course is just a mile and a half away."

UPDATE: For those of you keeping track, the house went for $12,600. There were 51 bids. For a sense of Flint real estate trends, here's the past sales figures going back to the seventies:

5/1/1979	$34,900.00	WARRANTY DEED CONVENTIONAL
8/1/1985	$33,600.00	WARRANTY DEED CONVENTIONAL
6/15/2004	$56,000.00	WARRANTY DEED CONVENTIONAL