After a slight delay, clearing and grading work on the small, 12-lot Kanim Grove Subdivision has begun along Maloney Grove Ave near downtown North Bend – and with it comes some good news.
Initially, it was thought that the historic Craftsman home on the property would be demolished after the party who planned to move it regrettably backed out due to unforeseen complications.
Over the past month, though, Don and James Cook of Cook Structure Movers took ownership of the home and are now preparing it for a short move.
Cook Structural Movers was the company initially hired to move the home this past March – before that plan fell apart. James and Don explained when they recently learned that things had changed and the home was scheduled for demolition, they approached the developer and offered to take ownership and move it.
Don said he loves historic Craftsman-style homes and didn’t like the thought of it being torn down. The Cook brothers are still looking for a permanent location for the 1920’s era home, but in the meantime, they will move it temporarily to the property of North Bend Theatre owner and founder of local nonprofit North Bend Arts and Industry, Beth Burrows.
The home will be moved sometime in the next 1 – 2 weeks. Yesterday it was moved off its foundation in preparation for the journey. Final permitting with the haul route is being completed by the City, and there is a condition that the move occurs Sunday – Thursday after 9PM.
Using a SEPA condition, the City of North Bend had required the landowner or developer of the Kanim Grove Subdivision to put forth great effort to save the house by documenting its historical significance and securing a party to find it a new home.
According to historical research, the Craftsman Bungalow-style house was constructed by Olaf and Susie Christensen between 1918-1926 and was connected to agricultural activities in the Snoqualmie Valley in the first half of the 20th century. If the home was not able to be saved, a SEPA condition required the developer to contribute $25,000 to the City’s preservation mitigation fund or downtown façade grant program.
MainVue Homes is constructing the Kanim Grove Subdivision. It was issued a certificate of concurrency on April 3, 2019, which reserved capacity in the city’s water and sewer facilities for the small project.
Comments
So grateful that this piece of history has been saved, Many thanks to all those involved! My nephews who still live in the Valley will be grateful I know, as their Grandmother, Lillian Lee lived there for a number of years;. she was a cousin to Susie Christiansen.