BATON ROUGE - It's a reality people in the Ogden Park area of Baton Rouge are living. Nice homes and flips sit next to a mess that's been deteriorating for years.

The house on Beverly Drive near Government Street is a one-story white house that once stood tall and strong. Today, it's showing severe signs of rot. Earlier this week, part of the house gave way and fell into the front yard. A television set, photos hanging on the wall, and a chandelier inside the structure are visible from the sidewalk.

Angela Dunaway walks past the house frequently and has watched as the structure has slumped further and further.

"I saw the window had fallen and the first thing I noticed was the TV," she said.

Entergy has posted a yellow sign to the side of the house about disconnecting gas service.

Neighbors seem to know the people that once lived there aren't coming back, but say it was once a nice property full of character and charm.

"It's been abandoned for what seems like a few years now," said Marty Bourgeois. "Initially I'd hoped it would be fixed up because it was once a beautiful home."

Now beyond repair, the house is water damaged and home to critters. A leaking roof was once covered by a tarp that is no longer there. It's part of the reason why the City-Parish condemned the property in September 2018. The demolition is scheduled for February but some people are wondering why it got so bad.

"Why would anybody not care about this house," said Dunaway.

The property taxes are up-to-date and was paid by the mortgage company earlier in December. Since the owner was ordered to tear it down and didn't, the Department of Public Works has the authority to take action.

The City-Parish will place a property lien on the tax roll to cover the cost of demolition, which is typically between $5,000 and $10,000.