This old house—saved!

Congratulations to Sarina Otaibi. Thanks to her, a fine old National Register house in Granite Falls, Minnesota has found a new home—and new life. Built in the late 1800s by Julian Weaver, the city's first train depot manager, the house was featured in the July/August 2006 edition of Save This Old House. Back then, we were pretty worried about its prospects for survival, as the place was facing demolition due to its  location in a flood plain.

Fortunately, after several Granite Falls residents pleaded with the city to save the place, City Council offered the house, plus an extra $25,000, to anyone willing to move it out of the flood plain. Enter Otaibi, who, in 2007, jacked the place up and off its foundation, and relocated it just up the hill from its former location. While Otaibi plans on selling the house, she was recently honored during the 25th Annual Minnesota Preservation Alliance Awards for saving a house that Granite Falls—and we here at This Old House—find more than worthy of a second chance. Click here for more information on the house, including photos taken after the restoration.