Braling II:

I lived in Fullerton, California for about 15 years. That's in Orange County, suburbia of Los Angeles. I moved out of a house I was renting, when it was sold for $85,000. Back then I thought, Wow! 85 grand for this old wooden structure. Wow. Crazy. When I was in Fullerton last year, I walked down my old street (Brookdale Place)...and right across the street was a simliar house for sale. Asking price. $719,000.00 Today it's probably more. So I know the problem with Los Angeles area home buying: it has lost its mind...the average first time home buyer cannot in any way buy into it today.

Nard, are you serious about the realtor's name? Tomas Gomez is a character in The Martian Chronicles. Am I missing the joke here, or is this for real??

lmskipper: I couldn't place the name Tomas Gomez. I knew it was in one of Ray's stories. But yes! That is the realtors name. Call that number on the realtor's sign (that's a 847 area code) and ask for Tomas Gomez.

This is just far too freaky. Tomas Gomez is in the chapter called "Night Meeting," one of my particular favorites in the book. I find it astounding that the realtor selling this home would have the same name. I am totally spooked!!

To Sam Weller:

Is it possible that you can convey to Ray that his grandparents house is for sell at a price of $186,000? It seems like he might find it interesting and I am know that Nard or I could call him, but it just would seem more appropriate that you might convey this information to him.

Homes like that probably sold for $10-$12,000 when they were brand new, perhaps even less.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: biplane1,

biplane 1:

I faxed over a couple photos of the house with particulars to Ray last week. Sam spent the weekend signing books with Ray in Los Angeles.

I think Ray has far too many other far reaching projects in mind than buying and restoring his old boyhood home. For starters, I am sure he finds his boyhood ...in streets around his home today, in the texture of the wind on certain days, and in the eyes of his daughters and grandkids...

Oh Nard,

In no way was I suggesting that Ray have anything to do with any development of a museum or whatever. As you so correctly say, Ray has too many things on his mind keeping him busy than taking time with his Waukegan past.

Wonder if any serious buyer at least looked into the particulars of the old Bradbury family house by now!(?)

Tonight (April 29th) Sam Weller will be in Waukegan (Green Town, IL) with Ray Bradbury calling in to talk to all.
Myself, won't be able to make it up there tonight. So I wish Sam the best. Hope someone up there can post a picture or two of tonight's event.

Nard,

Megadittoes to that. That's at least one thinga about this board that's better than the old: the ability to post pictures. I've enjoyed browsing your site but it's nice to be able to see your pictures here.

In addition to pictures, perhaps someone could make some "live" posts, to tell us what's going on.

Best,

Pete

Check out the photos (in the album section) of three pages of forms from the city of Waukegan, IL. (Green Town, IL)...to designate the once-owned Bradbury boyhood homes as "Landmarks".

(Click on the icon to enlarge image size of the pages and find oversized images. Sorry! Will try to correct that later.)

So Nard,

are you actually going to make that application? If so, good luck.

By the way, isn't Ray's grandparents' house supposed to have a cupola
(is that the right word), where Douglas Spaulding tells Green Town to rise in the morning? Or was that just Ray's flight of fantasy?

.
OCTOBER!!
A MOST FINE MONTH TO BUY AN OLD-ONCE OWNED BRADBURY HOUSE!!

Okay, here's the story on the house once owned by Ray's grandparents...as of October 10th, 2005.

Tomas Gomez, the Real-Estate agent handling the old once owned Bradbury house... (can you believe this name? Tomas Gomez is the actual name of a character out of one of Bradbury's stories)...said the house finally has a 'contract' on it. After talking to him a bit, he had no idea that an effort has been made to bring it to the attention of the preservationists at Waukegan. Further, he never was aware of the situation of THIS house being owned by anyone famous, especially of the Bradbury family.

So, it appears, it may just go to someone who never read Bradbury, has no idea what they are buying, and it may all end there. But then...

...there is that matter of the house ""next door"", where young Ray actually grew up!! This house we're talking about being sold was his grandparent's. But "next door" is not on the market...Yet!!! Stay tuned!!!
.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Nard Kordell,

The parents' home never had a covered porch. It's built too close to the sidewalk to have one.

I visited Waukegan and found the two homes very plain and unexceptional. No doubt the interiors look completely different today than from when Bradbury lived there. I also remember the streets and sidewalks in the neighborhood were really in need of repair. The other landmarks in Bradbury's young life, his grade school and the public library, have both been torn down and replaced by newer buildings. On the whole, a disappointing visit. The one thing that lived up to my expectations was The Ravine, which was as deep, dense, and forbidding as Bradbury described, even by daylight. It must have been even more intimidating by night.

Whether or not these houses become local landmarks, Green Town will always be preserved in Bradbury's stories.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Walloon,

Complete agreement on the ravine but only partial on the house. Are you absolutely sure there was not a side porch?

Not when I saw it. There's at least one way to find out: Sanborn fire insurance maps.

These maps were prepared by the Sanborn Map Co. to help fire insurance underwriters determine the insurability of individual residences and other buildings. The maps include outline drawings of the shapes of the buildings, and indicate the presence, and composition (wood, brick, etc.), of any porches. I've used them in genealogy research. A sample image.

The Waukegan Historical Society has several Sanborn maps between 1885 and 1949, including two hard copies from 1912 and 1917.