Want to see a 19th century brick mansion move a city block? Mark your calendar for Sept. 22.
That’s when Wolfe House & Building Movers, of Bernville, is expected to move the 4,500-square-foot Olds-Norman House a block north from its current location at 216 W. Seventh St. in Erie.
The house, built in 1884, is being moved on behalf of Erie businessman and preservationist Thomas Hagen, who is having it relocated to the site of Gannon University’s former Wehrle Hall at 215 W. Sixth St. The dormitory, built in the 1950s, was torn down earlier this year.
Once the home’s porches are rebuilt and renovations are complete, Gannon is expected to use the house as a bed-and-breakfast-style residence.
The former Olds-Norman House, owned by the Historic Erie Preservation Trust, is expected to be turned 180 degrees and relocated on Sept. 22 to the former site of Wehrle Hall on West Sixth Street.
The university will lease the home and two others from the Historic Erie Preservation Trust, which was established by Hagen to own and preserve historic Erie properties.
Hagen, who is both the chairman of Erie Insurance and one of Pennsylvania’s wealthiest residents, has completed between 25 and 30 restoration projects over the past few years, many of them on West Sixth Street.
Details of the move
Doug Oathout, chief spokesman for Gannon, said the move, which is expected to take 60 to 90 minutes, is scheduled to take place sometime on the morning of Sept. 22.
No rain date has been scheduled.
Gannon, which plans to livestream the move, is expecting a crowd.
Plans call for closing a portion of West Seventh Street on the day of the move, Oathout said. Parking will be restricted on portions of West Sixth and Sassafras streets.
Don’t expect to bump into the house in traffic. The structure won’t be moved on city streets.
An area has been graded behind Gannon’s Schuster Theatre, creating a direct path for the house to move to its new location.
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As part of the move, the house will be rotated 180 degrees to face the street.
Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Moving day for the Olds-Norman House in Erie is set for Sept. 22