WINTER PARK, Fla. — The historic Capen-Showalter House is now in one piece and on display for the community to enjoy.
Nearly two years ago, the house was cut in half and moved in two giant pieces across Lake Osceola so it could be displayed at the Albin Polasek Museum.
It couldn’t be moved by land because the surrounding roads were too narrow.
Photos: Capen house moved
Raw: Historic Capen House moved
The effort saved the Winter Park home from being demolished.
The home is one of the oldest in Winter Park, built in 1885.
“The only way to save the house was to cut it in half and move it by water,” said Debbie Komanski, executive director of the Albin Polasek Museum. “The place in the house where we decided to cut it had to do with the width of the lot that it was sitting on, on the other side of Lake Osceola. Because of the tree canopy and the narrow street on Interlochen Boulevard, it was impossible to move by land.”
A group in Winter Park helped raise enough money to move the home, but that was just the beginning.
“We had to move a boat house out of the way, float it up and get it out of the way because we had to put it back again,” Komanski said. “We had to build a bridge over a swimming pool. We had to clear this wide and build a 40 by 90 barge. All that happened over a span of 10 weeks.”
The historic home is now in one piece and resting on museum grounds.
The home will be the site for meetings and special events.
WFTV
