Back in 2021, Invest DSM was faced with two problems two blocks apart. First, Drake University decided to demolish some properties they owned on Brattleboro Avenue to make space for a state-of-the art health clinic. But one of them—a 1890 Victorian that had since been split up into multiple apartments—had the good bones and architectural merit that made it worth saving. Drake was looking for someone to buy the house and move it.
Secondly, a multi-unit structure on Cottage Grove Avenue was attracting complaints from neighbors, police, and residents about low-quality apartments that didn’t meet safety standards or housing codes. Fortunately, we came up with a single, transformative solution to both problems.
Invest DSM bought both properties, then worked with Primary Health Care to find higher-quality, affordable housing for the current residents, providing a relocation subsidy to make the move easier. Then we demolished the derelict building and divided the lot in half to create space for two houses where there had been only one.
Two blocks in four hours
Next up was moving the historic Victorian from Brattleboro to the Cottage Grove property. As expert contractors and Invest DSM staff gathered at midnight in August 2021 to kick off the monumental move, torrential rain and high winds struck. The loaded trailer finally set off around 1 a.m. and reached its destination four hours later (with tree trimming delaying the two-and-half-block trek). But the downpour had softened the ground so much that they couldn’t get the house into position. Three days and 25 tons of crushed cement later, the 134-year-old home settled onto its new foundations.
Over the next two years, Invest DSM then renovated the old Victorian home completely—preserving and restoring as many of the original architectural features as possible. While living in a smaller home less than a mile away, the Munroes kept an eye on the property throughout the project, watching with interest as the house was moved and restored. When the renovation was completed in October 2023, they finally got a look at the remodeled interior—complete with original wood features—the modern kitchen, and the open space for their three kids.
Immediately, the Munroes knew it was the home for them. Moving not only better met the family’s needs, it also freed up their smaller, more affordable home for another family. They settled into their new home in February 2024.
“Every day, I’m like: ‘I just love our house. I love our house!’”
– Deena Munroe
Next door, a new home is under construction on the other half of the lot. The new home will be completed and ready for market later this year. In fact, four properties on the corner of 31st Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in the Drake Special Investment District are being transformed as part of Invest DSM’s grant programs and development work. Two were completed in 2023, and two more are in progress.
The result: A neighborhood nuisance was removed, residents of substandard units got better housing, a historic gem was preserved and modernized for a local family, and a lot originally designed for one family will soon comfortably welcome two.
