North Main demolition: Opinions mixed as 6 boarded-up houses come down in Ann Arbor

Three of the six houses facing the wrecking ball were demolished by noon, and workers onsite from Den-Man Contractors said all six houses would be down by the week's end.

Walking by on his way to a Rotary meeting, Ann Arbor resident Don Faber stopped to literally applaud the crew doing the demolition work.

Three homeless people, at left, told the demolition workers at right about memories of squatting in the houses.

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

Not everyone is happy to see the homes coming down, though. Three homeless people who watched from the sidewalk on Wednesday shared memories of squatting in the houses.

"I used to sleep in the one on the end. It was called the Dirty Squat," said a man who identified himself only as Pig Pen, a self-described train hopper and hitchhiker who's originally from Ypsilanti but has traveled all over.

He said they sleep out in the woods now, but at different points each of them stayed in the houses being demolished.

"That was the one I stayed in last year," said a man who goes by the name Pooh, pointing to another of the houses. "I met my fiancee and we stayed in that one for two weeks."

Pooh, who is originally from Denton, Texas, said he travels all over the country and he's been coming to Ann Arbor since 2003. He said he's sad to see the houses go.

"All of these houses are perfectly good houses," he said. "People could renovate them."

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North Main demolition: Opinions mixed as 6 boarded-up houses come down in Ann Arbor