CAMDEN — Three generations of Henry family crane operators were in Camden Monday morning, during the diligent to work to move an historic barn from behind the old Hutchins family home at 59 Elm St., two doors up, to 63 Elm. St. Ownership of the barn was recently transferred from the First Congregational Church of Camden to its neighbor, Denise Pukas, owner of Mahogany Salon.

"I love the idea of saving an old building," said Pukas. "And working with Ron Hawkins, we have the opportunity to save this barn."

Church spokesman Tony Bates said the barn was offered to anybody who might want to move it.

"The barn has nice timbers and we are glad it will be used and tickled to death that Denise could figure out a way to make that happen," said Bates Tuesday. "And as we do with all of the things that are taken away from there, if somebody has an opportunity to make a donation to the church, that's good."

For 25 years the church has made the former doctor's home at 59 Elm St. available to Coastal Opportunities, to provide an independent home for residents with intellectual disabilities. The home is one of two residential apartment homes operated by Coastal Opportunities and it is owned by the church.

Ground was broken for a new home across the church parking lot's driveway, at 61 Elm St., and in February, the brand new supportive living apartment home opened its doors.

Camden architect Christopher Glass designed the building's exterior to replicate the significant historic elements of the 59 Elm Street home just next door. It contains three resident apartments on the first floor, all with separate entrances, and one "sympathetic tenant" unit on the second floor. That individual is available for any emergencies and supervises outside chores, such as raking leaves and shoveling snow.

Bates said the new home was intended to be owned by the church and operated by Coastal Opportunities under a similar arrangement, but in the end the church decided to allow Coastal to own it, and Coastal agreed to give the church usage rights to its portion of the parking lot in perpetuity.

"We are also sensitive to the fact that there are people in town that want to see things stay the same as much as they can, but we have worked to try and find a way to benefit everybody," said Bates. "And that's one reason we wanted the exterior to look nearly identical to the original home."

While the barn has been saved, Bates said the original home is slated to be torn down May 11. He said it was not practical to try and bring the original residence up to Americans with Disabilities Act code.

"We want the people that live there to age in place, and the new home is much more appropriate for that," said Bates.

He said that once the house is gone, it will make the church's parking lot, which is a popular overflow and auxiliary parking lot for town events, more visible. It is also anticipated that the open space will help the church's consignment store, Heavenly Threads, enjoy better exposure too.

"We will get rid of a problem house, from a safety standpoint, and it will become more obvious where to park, and that Heavenly Threads exists there," said Bates.

Hawkins was working with the Henry crew Monday, and Pukas was standing by watching and videotaping the work, as Dwight Henry and his son, Justin, worked the controls of the 60-ton and 70-ton cranes that were lifting and slowly maneuvering the 32,000-pound post and beam building. Steel beams were placed under the barn to carry the load as the cables and crane arms lifted, turned and moved it across the property lines.

It wasn't a long distance, and luckily, there were no wires and very few obstacles to overcome to relocate the barn from its granite foundation behind the former doctor's home to the back parking lot of Pukas' business, Mahogany Salon.

At the back of her parcel, Walter Lamont had been hired to excavate a new foundation, and Joe Thornley had been hired to set and pour the concrete for it. Lamont and Thornley are both contractors from Montville, and without them, said Hawkins, the barn-saving project would not have happened for Pukas.

"If they hadn't been available to do this work, this wouldn't have come together. We had a deadline of May 6 to move the barn, and if we didn't meet that, the barn would be torn down with the house," said Hawkins.

Once the poured concrete was set, granite slabs would top them, and the barn lifted one more time by the Henry cranes and placed atop the new foundation. Pukas said the basement of the barn, set into a rise at the back of the property, would serve as a three-car garage, with a workshop on the first floor for Hawkins to work on and maintain equipment to keep up her property. The top floor would be for personal and business storage.

"I don't have any auxiliary buildings or storage on my property and the barn will help with that, including storing yard equipment and a snowplow," said Pukas.

Pukas said Monday that she wasn't immediately impressed with the potential the church's old 18-foot by 32-foot barn held.

"I walked in and looked around at the bare bones and said, no thanks," said Pukas. "But Ron had a vision, and I trusted it and now, I can see it too."

Pukas said she did some digging into the building's past, as well as her own, and discovered a connection.

"The property and the barn were the property of James Richards, Camden's original settler, and I learned that I am also a descendent of James Richards, so I feel a kindred spirit in saving this barn," said Pukas.

Camden's historian Barbara Dyer said everyone with roots in Camden is a descendant of James Richards, as he owned so much of Camden's land it stretched from the harbor up to John Street and out to Lincolnville. She added that the Richards family was prolific, so it's no surprise to her that there is a connection.

Camden native Dyer said she too is related to Richards, and has a connection to the Hutchins home as well.

"Dr. Hutchins had a family practice out of the home attached to the barn, and back then he would come to your home when you were sick or in need. I remember him coming to visit us 80 years ago, when I was a kid," said Dyer. "I'm not sure though if the barn was for a horse and carriage, or for cars."

Hawkins' interest in the barn is its historic value. He said Monday he wished someone would step forward and save the house as well, as it too is post and beam, as he discovered when he went inside and inspected the basement.

"I am doing what I can to keep one more building from being destroyed in Camden," said Hawkins about the barn. "The house, built in the early 1800s, has a hand-hewn frame. I just don't have the wherewithal to save the house too, but I wish I did."

Related story:

• Coastal Opportunities dedicates 61 Elm Street apartments Feb. 8

Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com and 706-6655