This is crazy, but I know exactly what you're talking about. We drove through the Wayne State campus area when leaving the Lions' game. And, because traffic was a fucking nightmare, we spent a lot of time staring at the surroundings. And, just like you said, there were a bunch of really big, Victorian-style homes. It was weird, as one would look immaculate, and it was 20 yards from one that looked like a run-down crackhouse, but then there'd be another one that looked immaculate, and so forth.