BUTLER, Pa. -- A historic house on Main Street in Butler was relocated to avoid the wrecking ball. The house, built in the late 1800s, was purchased by Ray Simon and his wife to save it from being torn down.

The planning process started in the fall but the actual work just began.

The house on stilts was moved about three blocks away. “We are actually going right down through the parking lot on the other side of that house and back one block. We’ll be on the back lot of McKean Street. It could take two hours to four hours,” Simon said.

The process of preparing the house for the delicate move included many long hours for workers.

The 400-ton house was placed on 96 hydraulic, remote-controlled wheels and steered to its new resting place.

Simon said people of the community are support the move, though some find it hard to believe the family is moving a whole house. “[We’ve received] a lot of positive responses. People driving down the road will just stop, pull off and watch. I guess it isn’t something you expect to see every day.”