The free little house in Rockport that was cut in half
Thu, 01/10/2013 - 9:15am
The little house that misses its other half on 27 Pascal Ave. in Rockport. (Photo by Kay Stephens)
Interior of the little house seeking a new owner and location. (Photo by Kay Stephens)
Comic by Douglas Day.
The little house that misses its other half on 27 Pascal Ave. in Rockport. (Photo by Kay Stephens)
Interior of the little house seeking a new owner and location. (Photo by Kay Stephens)
Comic by Douglas Day.
This all started with a local Facebook yard sale post by local resident, Douglas Day.
FREE HOUSE. (no kidding) it'll cost me about $3,000 to remove this historic event.
The structure is almost worthless, the copper has been stripped out. It is only a snowfall away from demolition, but if you are capable and romantic, it's yours. It's really not worth it, but hey. If you got a barge, paint it turquoise and sell coffee in the harbor! Knock yourself out! You have ten days 'til demolition.
As often happens on Facebook, a larger story emerges out of a simple post.
Michelle Gagne Hannon replied to the post: “Rumor or folklore has that house used to be twice the size and was cut in half during a divorce dispute many, many years ago. That's the story… true or doubtful, but maybe…it does look oddly sized...”
Rockland resident Melissa Rhodes Byer confirmed this rumor in a Facebook comment, and then later, in an email, claiming this little house was her grandmother’s house, one of the first houses in Rockport. Once it was a two-family home, but the families couldn’t get along, so they cut the house in half and moved the other half to the other side of town. Rhodes Byer said by email, “I stumbled across this [Facebook post] tonight and it made me so sad. I grew up in this house. My brother sold this house without permission of the family. Then, the people across the street bought it.” Rhodes Byer could not be reached by telephone.
The little house sits at 27 Pascal Ave. in Rockport. A quick peek inside reveals what's left is a tumbledown shell. The whereabouts of the house’s other half remains a mystery.
Douglas Day, the current owner of the house and property, said he knows its history, and plans to build a gallery on the location, which cannot accommodate utilizing the current little house. He is offering it free to anyone with a serious interest in moving the house using a bonded mover capable of house-moving. He even offered to pay up to $1,000 of the moving costs. If the house is demolished, estimates range from $3,000-$4,000 including dump fees so Day is motivated to remove it more cheaply.
The structural support is weak though the house has been successfully lifted while a new foundation was poured under it. That project was never finished. New sills tie the house together. Undoubtedly, new sistered upright framing will be necessary to put the house back in operation. What's good about the house for a moving project is that all plaster, wires and pipes and bricks have already been removed.
Day is also seeking information regarding the house’s other half. “There will be a real story here if the other half shows up and those owners are receptive to the two halves being reunited,” he said.
Serious inquires only (meaning someone who has contacted a house mover and secured a bid on the project) may respond to Day by email at: douglasday85@gmail.com.
Event Date
Address
27 Pascal Avenue
Rockport, ME 04856
United States
Standard Post
