Spurned House May Yet Find a Home

It was the house that everyone loved but no one would buy.

Now the historic Edwards House in Orange may be close to finding a new home for itself.

The house, just west of the Orange Central Library in the Old Towne Historic District, is losing its address to a parking lot that is part of a library expansion project.

To try to save it, the 1921 Craftsman was offered for auction in April at a starting bid of $1. Buyers were required to pay for moving it elsewhere within the historic district. No one bid.

“Enough people had come forward that we knew there was viable interest out in the community, and that’s why we decided to continue,” said Orange Librarian Nora Jacob.

Now, instead of going to bid, the city is working with potential buyers who already own land in Old Towne.

Jacob, with an assistant city attorney, and planners with expertise in environmental issues, the historic district and zoning meet with potential buyers in a series of conferences to find the best candidate for the home.

“With the bidding process, there was not any significant communication between the interested bidders and ourselves,” Jacob said. “With this, as we negotiate offers, we have a one-stop shop for people to talk with us.”

Jacob said they have narrowed the pool to three prospective buyers, but will not reveal who they are or whether they will live in the Edwards House.

She said the city is open to other offers, provided they come from people who have Old Towne land suitable for the house.

The deadline for making an offer is Aug 7.

Jacob said the panel is evaluating the lot size of each prospective buyer and whether the Edwards Home would be compatible with the rest of the neighborhood.

Moving and resettling the 1,900-square-foot house is not cheap. The city has estimated the cost of moving it at between $30,000 and $40,000.

Building a new foundation and any refurbishments could easily add $100,000, said Orange real estate agent Dan Slater.

“It’d be a wonderful house [to live in],” Slater said. “It’s going to take some money, but it’s certainly fixable.”

Jacob said the house -- now used for library offices and as a bookstore for the Friends of the Orange Public Library -- is up to code, with modern electrical and plumbing systems.

All three prospective buyers already own lots, but buying land in the historic district Slater said, would cost about $250,000.

And available lots in Old Towne -- which has 1,200 homes within a square mile -- are scarce. Slater said he knows of only six available for development, and only two of those would be suitable for the Edwards House.

The city also owns a lot there, but trailers housing offices for the community services department are on it, said Jacob, and the city decided not to sell the land.

Tom Harrison, whose Costa Mesa realty company recently moved a 1919 home in Old Towne, said the costs of moving old houses can rise unexpectedly.

“It gets really messy,” he said. “You have certain elements of a 1919 house that don’t survive the move, and you have to rebuild.”

Jacob said the city has a backup plan should the offers fall through, but would not elaborate.

The city must work quickly: Groundbreaking for the expanded library is expected to take place early next year. Even after a buyer is found, the process of removing the house and transporting it could take some time.

“It’s not as simple as coming in two weeks later, scooping up the house and taking it [somewhere else],” Jacob said.