"The box is a fascist symbol"

... said Frank Lloyd Wright in a famous televised interview with Hugh Downs, what, 55 years ago now.

Maybe he had a nightmare one night of a dystopian future where townhouses invade once-charming Ballard.

Here we see the clean lines of The Box broken up by some sort of house-remora.  Maybe there's a charming alcove on the inside?

Never forget what is just under the skins of these wretched, cheap, houses.  Sawdust and glue!

People who live in townhouses would live in condos, but they can't afford the dues.  Here we see a future tenement block, which will probably all burn down in a crack-pipe-triggered fire.

Granite counters and murder-holes!

I played a lot of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons as a kid, where I learned about a "murder-hole", basically a slit in a castle wall where some rogue can stick a crossbow or spear and give you a nasty surprise.

 

Why do cardboard townhomes in Whittier Heights, Seattle, now come with murder-holes?  Wouldn't a nice picture window make for a nicer home?

My theory is that the builder wisely thought of the coming deflation, and added this feature in an attempt to defend the property from looting mobs.  Does it come with a crossbow?

 

Two of the eight units have sold!  The remaining few are $375K and $380K.  The street facing units must be worth that extra $5K.  By the way, bagholders, in this neighborhood, that nice wood fence will be a magnet for graffiti.  Get ready.