CALDWELL, Idaho — The restoration of a historic Caldwell home is inching forward as crews move the home to its new foundation.
On Friday, Nov. 1, the Caldwell Housing Authority and Pacific Movers crews moved the historic John C. Rice House onto its foundation at the corner of Chicago Street & Kimball Avenue around 10 a.m.. The home's foundation is 14 inches thick and 20 feet high.
The section of Kimball Avenue in front of the house was scheduled to be blocked off from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to allow crews to move the home safely.
Back in late June, moving day came for the Rice House, a home that used to be on the College of Idaho campus, to its new location. The home will have a coffee shop and will provide a unique opportunity for first responders, providing five of them with affordable housing.
"First responders are dealing with the same housing issues that everybody else is dealing with. Housing is scarce. It's in many cases unaffordable, and so if we can provide affordable housing to first responders, it provides a different element of our community that we support [them,]" Director Mike Dittenber with the Caldwell Housing Authority previously told KTVB.
On Friday, Dittenber said in a news release, before construction of the historic home begins, the housing authority would be opening the house to the public to check out the home.
The Caldwell Housing Authority will begin its capital campaign after Jan. 1, 2025, to raise money through donations to help offset restoration costs. Dittenber said the more money they raise, the less first responders will need to pay.
