TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The first of five historic homes at the corner of Speedway and Euclid was picked up and moved a few blocks away early Monday morning, as part of a plan to clear space for new student and workforce housing near the University of Arizona.
The move took place overnight to limit traffic disruptions. The Speedway and Euclid intersection and some surrounding streets were shut down for hours to accommodate the move.
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The plan took six years of conversations and compromise between the city of Tucson, neighbors in the historic West University neighborhood, and the developer—Alabama-based Capstone Communities.
The parties agreed to allow the new development—set to begin construction at Speedway and Euclid this fall—if the bungalows on-site could be saved and relocated somewhere in the neighborhood.
Capstone is paying for the relocation, saying the cost is "well over" a million dollars. The company is also investing in infrastructure like new sidewalks in the neighborhood.
Pennsylvania-based company Wolfe House & Building Movers uses a hydraulic system that powers wheels or “dollies” underneath the house, controlled remotely through a tablet.
The house, what once was 812 E. Speedway Boulevard, rolled slowly down Speedway Monday morning.
Dahlia Feiter lived at the house when she was a college student. She drove down from Phoenix to see the midnight move for herself.
“A lot of great memories,” she said. “This [house] was iconic. This was literally like our college years… This is a huge deal to actually see your home getting physically moved down the street.”
Plenty of neighbors stayed up late to watch, including U of A urban planning students Anna Schrauth and Annika Risser, who set up lawn chairs on the sidewalk.
“Just wanna see how it works and see what happens,” said Schrauth.
Bill Hubbard’s family owned these homes for roughly fifty years before selling the properties to Capstone. They saw too many close calls with cars on Speedway.
“A great sense of relief to see the house moved out of this dangerous spot at the corner of Speedway and Euclid. And on its way to a much better location,” he said.
The new address just a few blocks away, on a lot near 1st Street and 2nd Avenue owned by Joel Ireland, who’s lived in the neighborhood for 40 years. He will turn the five relocated homes into revamped rentals after the foundations are set.
“These houses were about to go,” he said. “They were in bad shape. And they stayed on that heavy commercial corner, they were just gonna be goners. And so now we’re gonna move ‘em here, refurbish ‘em, and hopefully give ‘em another 100 years.”
“You don’t build new, old houses, you know? We’ve only got a limited supply. So we’ve got to save the ones we have. And that’s why I moved into this neighborhood, to do that kind of preservation, really.”
The remaining four home moves are expected to be finished in about a month.
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Ryan Fish is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9 and comes to the Sonoran Desert from California’s Central Coast after working as a reporter, sports anchor and weather forecaster in Santa Barbara. Ryan grew up in the Chicago suburbs, frequently visiting family in Tucson. Share your story ideas and important issues with Ryan by emailing ryan.fish@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
