White Elephant saved at 11th hour from demolition

CEDAR RAPIDS — The historic White Elephant building took a three-block trek to salvation Monday — a day before the 135-year-old structure could have fallen to a wrecking ball.

The building was located in the New Bohemia district at 1010 Third St. SE, and was once a thrift store by that name. It has since been vacant and juggled between owners since the 2008 flood.

Citing financial concerns over restoring the building, the owners of the property sought a demolition permit from the city in March to make way for a potential deli.

In an effort to find someone to move and save the building, the city's Historic Preservation Commission placed a 60-day hold on the proposed demolition permit. The hold would have been lifted Tuesday.

Three weeks ago, Beth and Tom DeBoom of Cedar Rapids and Primus Construction partnered to fund the building's move out of harm's way.

'What really drew me to it is that it was old, it was going to be torn down and there was a demolition notice up on the building,' Beth DeBoom said. 'Those are the things that pull on my heartstrings.'

The White Elephant's saviors finalized the purchase and move for the building over the weekend. They paid a token fee of $10 for the building and the move's cost was $20,000, she said.

To avoid morning traffic, the move started at 5:30 a.m. Monday. It took an hour for the 60,000-pound building to travel on a truck three blocks to a temporary location on land the DeBooms own on Second Street SE.

Beth DeBoom said that for 60 to 90 days, the White Elephant will sit on wheels until it can be placed on the plot of land near its temporary spot, at 1301 Third St. SE.

The DeBooms are currently in the process of purchasing that land from the city.

The White Elephant will be neighbors to the so-called Heart House. That house was built in 1885 and saved from demolition by the DeBooms as well. Both of the homes are in the Bohemian Commercial Historic District, and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The White Elephant is one of the last original storefronts in the NewBo area.

DeBoom said crews will restore the White Elephant 'to the way it looked before the flood.' There will be a thrift shop on the first floor and a living area on the second once the building is settled into its new home.

She said she hopes to gain historic tax credits to help with restoration costs.

'It is the most satisfying experience and worth every minute, hour, day we put into the process,' she said. 'It is a perfectly useful building, and has another 100 or so more years left.'

Beth DeBoom is president and one of the founding members of Save Cedar Rapids Heritage, a local preservation advocacy group. The White Elephant's last-minute salvation project was privately funded, and not in connection to her organization.

Pinned on the White Elephant while it traveled the streets was a big red flag with a white heart on it.

'The heart symbol is something we use at Save CR Heritage,' she said. 'We put those on buildings to show that someone is watching over and cares about them.'

April showers must bring May house moves in the Corridor. Just last Wednesday in Iowa City, another historic house-saving project took place.

The 19th century Houser-Metzger House was donated by a developer to make way for apartments. Friends of Historic Preservation in Iowa City led the project to move the house about four blocks, where it will be updated and sold for residential use.