Did you know North Dakota has a polka-dot house?

This house in Grand Forks, North Dakota has attracted a lot of attention over the years. I actually used to work right next to it on University Avenue in downtown Grand Forks.

The neighborhood to be honest is sketchy at best.  The Grand Forks Police Department would frequently come into the radio station where I worked and let us know they were in the process of some sort of a nearby bust.

How did this home become a polka-dot color scheme?

You would have to go back to the infamous flood of 1997 when the city of Grand Forks became inundated with floodwaters.  I again was working next to the house at the time which was just a plain white home.

After the flood waters receded a month later, many of the homes in downtown Grand Forks were eventually bought out from the city and deemed not salvageable.  Including the house right next to the radio station and next to the home that would eventually become the "polka-dot" house.

The owner of the polka-dot house Jim Deitz was reportedly upset with the city for not buying him out. 

So, in the ultimate "stick it to the man moment", Deitz decided to paint the house in a "polka-dot" scheme.  Now, there are city codes in place, but apparently, the city of Grand Forks has nothing on the books against a "polka-dot" color scheme.

Here we are 25 years or so later and the North Dakota's "polka-dot" house still stands today.

I snatched a picture of it yesterday when I was back visiting some friends.  The home has now been turned into low-income apartments.

I guess I would've thought the city of Grand Forks would've come up with some sort of ordinance against it over the last 25 years. I've known firsthand, that several city officials weren't very fond of the home.  Either that or the owner would've wanted to sell the home and repaint it.

Nope, it looks like this home is staying polka-dot for the foreseeable future.  Looks like a stalemate to me.  Eyesore or landmark?  I guess beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

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