Mike,
Your comment gave me the clue to solving how this came to be.
Looking at the last picture, the tar paper siding stops at a straight line next to the boarded up door. The older wood siding was original when the house was built.
[ I was looking at a house in the same area this week and saw the same kind of wood on the back porch. That house was being remodeled.
]
I am guessing but, at some time in the past there was an enclosed porch added onto the violation house and the panel was inside the porch. They probaly had a piece of plywood nailed over the windows, since they now looked into the closed porch and weren't needed.
Over the years the porch fell down or was torn down.
Over the years the plywood over the windows followed.
[ Along with the back steps and other parts.]
I can now rest knowing that someone didn't do this on purpose. [ I hope
]
At least it wasn't as difficult as trying to figure out a fire origin.
This only took me 15 years.
Alan--