Historic House in Springfield, Ill., Remains Stalled in Traffic
A house in Springfield, Ill. with ties to President Lincoln
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Springfield City Council late Tuesday voted against further city funding to finish relocating an historic home with Abraham Lincoln ties, complicating what has already become a bizarre convergence of history, politics and traffic. (See the earlier story.)
As a result of the council’s 6-4 vote against approving $294,845 in tax-increment financing for a foundation and other work, the two-story 1850s structure known as Maisenbacher House will, for the moment, remain sitting on wheels in the middle of Jackson Street in downtown Springfield, where it’s been since mid-November. The owner says he can’t set it down without city funding for the foundation.
“Can we get it off the street? I don’t know,” said the house’s owner, Court Conn, as quoted in The (Springfield) State Journal-Register, after his request for city funding was turned down in Tuesday’s meeting.
He added, in what might be construed as a threat: “I think it’s safe in the street.”
Conn wants to renovate the dilapitated house and make it an historic inn. He says he started the relocation project because Mayor Tim Davlin promised the city would cover much of the cost, with an eye on preserving a piece of Lincoln history in a town often accused of destroying too much of it. Lincoln, who spent most of his adult life in Springfield, is said to have loaned $650 toward the construction of the house.
But the City Council balked, saying Davlin’s promise wasn’t approved by them before the house started its five-block move to Conn’s property.
Among the problems Conn now faces is a Dec. 15 deadline to return the massive wheels to the St. Louis-based company that moved the house, Expert House Movers. After that, Conn told the local paper, he’ll be fined $1,000 a day from the company.
How does somebody start to move a house 5 blocks, down city streets, without having a foundation in place, or at least , some place designated to sit it down?
“Lucy! You got some ’splainin’ to do.”
Either somebody is trying to force somebody’s hand. Or this is all a game in which the mayor, the city council, and the homeowner are making a show so the city can justify the spending (in order to move the eyesore.)
A house divided cannot stand.
Theres much more to the story than is being reported here of course. It all started when a company was going to tear down the house to expand its parking. The Springfield Historical Society got involved in a last minute attempt to save the house. Mr. Conn was approached by them AND the mayor, because, 1) he had land to put the house on. 2) he already owns another historical inn, within the city. The mayer made promises to him, that he couldnt back up. The whole thing was done quickly to save the house from the wrecking ball. Mr. and Mrs. Conn agreed to restore the house and open it as a inn/bed and breakfast, not to pay for the costs of moving it. They consider a foundation for it to sit on part of the moving costs. Theres disagreement, theres grey area, there were false promises, and it all equals a house sitting in the middle of the street. But I do not believe the Conns are the bad guys, here. Its unfortunate their name is on this boonedoggle.
Apparently it should have been approved before the move. The Conn’s will make the money off the project when the Inn is open. Why would you just accept a house without incurring some of the cost? This is a crazy story and the Mayor should resign for not being able to handle his town. Why is he making deals the City Council aren’t approving?
His name says it all
My god. A Hummer’s bad enough, but driving around a house? No wonder it ran out of gas. How many miles per gallon does that thing get?
Are you kidding, this house is historic because Lincoln may have loaned money to build it. Hey I live in east alton, and Lewis and Clark may have pissed in my front yard….is my house historic now? Bulldoze the POS and save my tax dollars, cause even though its all the way in springfield its gonna cost me somehow.
Doesn’t the TIF or Tax Increment Finance require detailed, documented, and planned, objective paperwork before they can spend one dollar of TIF money? Did they break the TIF law?