SPOKANE, Wash. — The first of two historic houses was successfully relocated from Gonzaga University’s campus to Mt. Vernon Street on Spokane’s South Hill over the weekend, marking an unusual preservation effort that neighbors describe as both disruptive and fascinating.
Saul Breithaupt, owner of Spokane House Moving, has spent months coordinating the complex logistics of moving the structures, including removing the roof of one house to ensure it could fit under overpasses. The relocation costs exceed $20,000 per house, but Breithaupt said the expense is justified by the environmental and historical benefits.
“This is the purest form of recycling,” Breithaupt said. “You save the whole house. That’s tons of materials not going to the landfill. Also, it’s historical preservation. The house gets a new home and a new life in a nice neighborhood.”…