House becoming 'mobile home' to make way for new 12-plex apartment building

The house at 409 West 1st street in McCook has been lifted from the foundation in preparation to be moved on Sunday.

Rose Weskamp/Courtesy photo

McCOOK Neb. - It’s rare that people choose to relocate a house, but it is possible, and that is just what one McCook resident has decided to do. Earlier this year, Rose Weskamp requested approval from the McCook City Council to relocate a historic house Michael and Linda Nielsen owned from 409 West 1st Street to 71823 Road 386. The move comes as Community Hospital prepares for construction on a new 12-plex apartment building designed to accommodate medical interns traveling to McCook

City Manager Nate Schneider addressed the council, highlighting the relocation’s challenges. He noted that staff were working with the mover to establish a route that meets utility requirements and ensures police presence during the move. “The requested move has been a challenge,” Schneider stated. He recommended including conditions in the motion to ensure all logistical items are in place before the move takes place.

The dirt work for the new apartment building is scheduled to begin on October 14, so the house must be moved before that date.

Weskamp, who has coordinated the move with Star House Moving out of Grant, Nebraska, praised the team’s dedication, saying, “It’s amazing how much work these three men do in a day. Yesterday, they removed a tree, and the garage lifted the house, hurried it toward the Gazette, and braced it up.”

In reflecting on her decision to purchase and move the house, Weskamp expressed her commitment to recycling and preserving history. “It bothered me to think they would just knock this down, especially when they’re going to build something in its place,” she remarked.

Weskamp was particularly drawn to the home’s craftsmanship, noting some of its original woodwork. She felt connected when she discovered a shelf liner in the cupboard that matched a print from another home she had previously renovated. “I knew the purchase was meant to be,” she said.

The house is scheduled for relocation on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 8 a.m. Weskamp invited community members to come out and watch the event, stating, “I thought it’d be fun to put in the paper so that, if anybody wanted to, they could have kids come out and watch it.”

The route for the move is expected to be non-linear, as the team will need to navigate around low-hanging traffic light posts while making their way to B Street before turning onto Highway 83 North.

As McCook continues to evolve, this house move reminds us of the importance of preserving local history amid modern development.