HOLLAND, Mich. - After a two-day, one quarter mile journey, the Fried Cottage is sitting at its new home on the Hope College campus in Holland.
Crews moved the 220-ton building from 112 E 12th Street to the corner of 14th Street and Columbia Avenue.
“It is an incredible feat,” explains Hope College Senior Project Manager Greg Maybury. “They just move very, very slowly. It is like a caterpillar crawling over uneven land.”
At its old location on 12th Street, the cottage did not fit in with plans for a new campus ministry. But instead of demolishing the more than 100-year-old building, the college decided to move the cottage to another lot on Columbia Avenue.
“It is nice to see someone working to keep the history of Holland and not tear everything down,” says neighbor Mike Brown.
“From its structure and historic value, we felt it was worth the investment to move this home to another part of our campus,” says Maybury.
During the late 1800s the Fried Cottage (pronounced “freed”) was a private residence. Over the years Hope used it for various campus departments, and most recently, as housing for international students.
In about 3 months they say it will be ready to serve another purpose at its new location.
“It is unbelievable that they could raise something this big and move it,” says visitor Chris Packer. “That is just amazing to me.”