Now Reading: Historic US house for sale at $1 but must be moved
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Historic US house for sale at $1 but must be moved
A 125-year-old historic house in Bath, Maine, is being offered for just $1 by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. The catch: the buyer must move the entire building to a legally permitted…
The Story in Brief
A 125-year-old historic house in Bath, Maine, is being offered for just $1 by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. The catch: the buyer must move the entire building to a legally permitted site by November 20, 2027, or risk seeing it demolished. The Deering House, built around 1900 and once owned by prominent shipbuilder Gardiner G. Deering, stands on land the company needs for a new facility.
The house is sold "as is, where is" with no warranties, and the buyer bears all relocation costs, permits, structural movers, transportation, foundations, and utilities. Moving a large historic house can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. A similar project in Augusta, Maine, cost over $500,000. The company hopes someone will preserve the property, but the financial hurdle is steep.
The Indian Opinion
The $1 price tag grabs attention, but the real story is the cost of moving a 125-year-old house, easily hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some may call it a steal; others will see a corporate giant shifting its preservation burden onto the public. Both sides have a point. Bath Iron Works needs space to expand, and the Deering House is a piece of maritime history. The question is not whether it should be saved, but who will pay for it. One test: will a local buyer or a preservation group step up before the 2027 deadline?
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
