After 135 years, the Nissen House is getting a new address.
The historic building, one of the oldest houses in Lewisville, will soon be hoisted onto a set of wheels and rolled about 100 yards to a small parcel of land behind the town hall.
The move marks an end to months of negotiation between the Lewisville Historical Society and the town council to save the house, which sits on a piece of property that was sold to two dentists earlier this year.
The dentists, Thomas Browder and Jon Liner, liked the lot's location at the corner of Shallowford Road and Arrow Leaf Drive, one of the most prominent spots in town. But they soon discovered that the house was not suitable for a dental office.
They offered to give the house to the Lewisville Historical Society if it could find a new location. Since last summer, the society has been scrambling to find a location and raise money to help pay for the moving costs.
After a few spots were rejected for various reasons, the town agreed to lease the society a 0.33-acre tract near the intersection of Lucy Lane and Arrow Leaf Drive for $1 a year.
Last month, the council agreed to lend the society up to $68,000 to help pay for moving the house, which will cost about $100,000. Several people have stepped forward to guarantee up to $50,500 in loans, said John Byrd, the interim president of the historical society.
The rest of the costs will be covered by donations. Included in the donors are Browder and Liner, and a descendant of George Nissen, who built the house in 1876.
The historical society must repay half of the loan in two years and the remainder in five years. But their fundraising efforts will be far from over.
As part of the contract with the town, the historical society has five years to renovate the house, which is a mix of Italianate and Greek revival architectural styles. Byrd said that the historical society is already pursuing grants to pay for renovation and future operating costs.
"We'll be raising funds for this house for 10 years, maybe longer," Byrd said. "With any type of project like this, you still have to build up an endowment to cover operational costs. We'll be in fundraising mode for a long time to come."
Under terms of the contract, the historical society can accept tenants for part of the house, but only tenants who serve a public good, such as a nonprofit organization, said Bowen Houff, the town's attorney.
Blake Moving Co. in Greensboro began prepping the house for its move earlier this week. Side porches had to be removed so the house could fit on the lot.
Jeff Zenger of Nehemiah Construction in Lewisville is the general contractor for the project. He said that it takes about a week to prepare a house for a move.
"I'm hoping we'll be ready to move the week after Thanksgiving, but we may be ready before that, depending on the weather," Zenger said.
Browder and Liner have asked that the house be moved no later than Dec. 15 so that construction on their dental office can begin. They expect to break ground in January.
Moving the house will likely take place during school hours so that it won't interfere with the dropping off and picking up of children at Lewisville Elementary School, Zenger said.
■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lodonnell@wsjournal.com.
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