For at least a decade, the house at 1602 Oakwood Ave. stood surrounded by an 8-foot wall of white lattice hung with antique mirrors, a rainbow pinwheel, a Batman cape and a choir of ceramic angels — all daring anyone to ignore the spectacle.
Depending on your taste, the Southeast Raleigh landmark qualified either as the world’s most eccentric trinket collection or a prize-winning pile of junk. On special mornings, you’d see the artist himself, sweeping the sidewalk out front while curious commuters drove past, startled out of their ordinary Tuesdays.
But on the Friday before last, the city ruled decisively in favor of the “junk” faction, hauling it all away as a public nuisance…