On Monday, Oct. 21, a Bobcat with a claw attacks one of the historic Buck Houses on S. Ann Street to demolish it.
Photo by Jim Scolman
MONROE — A Bobcat crunched into one of Monroe’s oldest remaining houses last Monday morning.
Supporters say there’s a slim window to save its sibling next door.
Monroe pioneer Siralpha Buck built the two at the turn of the 1900s: One for his family, and one for his son.
The Monroe Historical Society strived to relocate them out of harm’s way.
They even fondly nicknamed the houses at 135 and 143 S. Ann St. “Hattie” and “Harriett” respectively. Last week, “Harriett” was flattened. That was the son’s house from 1903.
For six years, property owner Emanuel Popa had offered the buildings for free to anyone who’d pay to move them. A mover would charge $75,000 or so to go a few blocks. That offer is still available for any last-minute takers.
“It’s not too late” for the remaining Buck House from 1901, ‘house rescuer’ Jeff McCord of the Nickel Bros. building mover firm said.
He’s seen last-minute saves before: In Kirkland about seven years ago, a historic 1889 home called the Trueblood House was two weeks before demolition before it got saved. It moved twice, actually. That house was similar in size to the Buck House.
The site near Fremont and Ann streets is being prepared to be a new apartment building Popa’s creating. He’s now got permits in hand, and is concluding contracts with the renters living in the Buck Houses to move ahead.
Popa really tried, McCord said. Finding a new spot is part of the rub. Few people own open land nearby. The added cost to depower overhead power lines along the move path is a second barrier.
More than once, moving plans evaporated. Most recent talks to relocate the houses to the Evergreen State Fairgrounds fizzled.
Siralpha Buck ran a shingle mill and created the Monroe Water and Light Company. Buck Island, inside Al Borlin Park, is named for him; at one time, the whole park was named for Siralpha Buck.
Tami Beaumont, a City Councilwoman and a trustee at the historical society who’s been a point person trying to save them, called the demolition “sickening.”
The city needs “some kind of protection for our historic homes,” she told colleagues at last week’s council meeting.
McCord said the perfect taker would recognize the house move will require permit steps and more, and have a relocation site within a few blocks nearby. A spare parking lot could act as a temporary storage place.
It’s challenging to move a building, but: The all-in cost to construct a new building of this quality and character is three times more than moving one, McCord said. The timber is stouter than anything found today.
The two ways to finance a move are either to draw equity from an existing investment to cough up the money, or to apply for a construction loan. A construction loan would have to fast-track the foundation and utility hookups.
