Courthouse Square Troubles

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Swanagon shrugs off the theft of a floral arrangement she placed in the ballroom. ("It was borrowed and never brought back," she says.) Another resident found the petty theft more troubling. She tried to turn the lobby into a cozy gallery, with artwork and nice furniture, only to move out, frustrated, after several pieces were stolen.

Before Shirley Clarkson left, she obtained records of 911 calls from Courthouse Square. From June 2007 through May 2008, there were 190 emergency calls. Over the next twelve months, the number of 911 calls rose to a staggering 270--an averge of more than five calls a week.

Though many calls were for medical emergencies and minor problems, the number of those serious enough to result in a police report nearly doubled in the same period, from fourteen to twenty-six. By comparison, Lurie Terrace, a slightly larger senior high-rise on West Huron, generated only thirty-nine emergency calls and nine police reports during the same twelve months.

In August, Courthouse Square had eleven vacant units--prompting management to offer a $500 bounty to any resident who signs up a new tenant. And the vacancies, in turn, may explain why First Centrum is reportedly trying to sell the building.