Recycling houses can save neighborhoods, benefit all

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"It's the epitome of recycling when you move a house," said Phyllis Fer-guson, Preservation Springfield board member and Woodland Heights Neigh-borhood Association representative. |ret||ret||tab|

She referred to three Woodland Heights homes about to be moved from their North Lyon location to make room for a Reed Middle School improvement project. Bill Pierceall, Preservation Springfield vice president, called the move "a $150,000 effort to relocate, restore and revive homes that were targeted for demolition."|ret||ret||tab|

It would be simpler to demolish the houses instead of moving them, but "That's one of the problems with our community. Center city neighborhood houses keep disappearing and nothing replaces them but business buildings and parking lots," said Pierceall, who is managing the project.|ret||ret||tab|

The house-moving venture began when the association approached Spring-field Public Schools about alternatives to demolition. Ferguson, who presented the proposal, said that Glenn Pace, director of building services, liked the suggestion to preserve the structures, and the school system agreed to donate the houses. |ret||ret||tab|

The arrangement not only will help three families acquire homes in the future, but benefits the school system as well. "The reason the school system donated those houses was that it saved the district the cost of demolishing them," said Helen White, Preservation Springfield president.|ret||ret||tab|

Soon the houses at 2017, 2027 and 2036 N. Lyon will travel on down the road to 1865 N. Jefferson and 1875 N. Main. The new addresses are still within the Reed Middle School district and the Woodland Heights neighborhood. |ret||ret||tab|

White said, "With moving houses you want to go as short a distance as possible; that makes it cheaper. You also have to think of utility lines and which streets are wide enough to go down and give access."|ret||ret||tab|

Pierceall added, "The houses are all jacked up on steel girders and ready to move." He described the homes as two bungalows and one Victorian, adding that he hopes the Victorian will act as a sort of gateway into the Woodland Heights neighborhood.|ret||ret||tab|

"What we're hoping is this will establish a momentum for revitalization in one of our center city neighborhoods," Pierceall said. He also stated, "We don't want to see center city neighborhoods lose houses."|ret||ret||tab|

The agreement with Springfield Public Schools was the first step in a lengthy process of negotiation among organizations and individuals, one of the most important results of which, Pierceall said, is "in establishing partnerships between the leaders of the city of Springfield, the legal department, Plan-ning and Zoning Division, Traffic Divi-sion, as well as the school administration."|ret||ret||tab|

White said, "We've had a great deal of cooperation with the city of Springfield, because they see this as a way to revitalize neighborhoods."|ret||ret||tab|

Getting houses donated was merely a beginning, she said. "We at the Wood-land Heights Neighborhood Asso-ciation knew that we couldn't do the project alone; none of us had any experience."|ret||ret||tab|

Since Preservation Springfield's mission statement is "Inspiring Springfield to become a model for historic preservation," the board (White, Pierceall, secretary Susie Wieland, treasurer Jason Buschert, Tim Rosenbury, Michael Kohr, Nancy Brown, Rev. Ken Chumbley, Mary Collette, Ferguson and Paula Ringer) took up the challenge. |ret||ret||tab|

The 2 1/2-year-old Preservation Springfield organization has undertaken projects in the past, including historic site tours, potluck mixers to bring together city and civic leaders and preservationists, public forums promoting Missouri's Historic Rehabilitation Tax Act, and co-sponsoring with the city Landmarks Board the symposium "Posi-tioning, Planning and Partnerships." |ret||ret||tab|

White said, "The money to make the move and stabilize the houses has been loaned to us by the Historic Preservation Society of Springfield-Greene County out of their revolving fund." The loan will be paid back by Preservation Springfield.|ret||ret||tab|

Pierceall pointed out that the cost of moving just one of the houses is $10,000 a special nonprofit discount rate from the lowest bidder. Additional expenses come from excavation, a new foundation, utilities hookup and a police escort for the actual moving of the house.|ret||ret||tab|

While one house may already be sold under a verbal agreement, Preservation Springfield is not set on making a profit from the houses. "All we want to do is recover our costs and make enough money to do this again," Pierceall said.|ret||ret||tab|

White and Pierceall agreed that saving houses helps the families who become new residents of the homes, the neighborhoods that gain houses to replace vacant lots, and the public that gains more from retaining higher-taxation level properties on the tax rolls.|ret||ret||tab|

White looks for Preservation Spring-field to do more such projects. She added that Preservation Springfield is encouraging the city of Springfield to hire a full-time preservation officer for the Planning Department. Such a person, she said, would provide a guide on what buildings need to be and can be saved.|ret||ret||tab|

"Right now we feel our focus is showing that historic preservation makes good financial sense for the community," White said. [[In-content Ad]]