'White House' has new home
LOREN BENOIT/Press The “White House” crosses Lake Coeur d’Alene Thursday afternoon to its new location at John Swallow’s property in Casco Bay. The 115-year-old house served various administrative functions for the Village at Orchard Ridge.
The historic 1903 “White House” that sat on the grounds of the Village at Orchard Ridge is lifted onto a lake barge in the Hagadone Marine parking lot early Thursday morning to set sail to its new home at John Swallow’s family property in Casco Bay. The home once housed the president of the long-gone Coeur d’Alene College as well as the superintendent of Coeur d’Alene Homes until the 1960s. It had been used for office and storage space, but was to be removed or demolished to make way for senior housing in the future. (Courtesy photo)
Rev. C.S. Thompson of Coeur d’Alene Homes stands in front of the “White House” in this circa 1940s photo. The house, built in 1903, was rescued from demolition by long-time Coeur d’Alene resident and businessman John Swallow, who worked for a year with several people and entities to move the house to his Casco Bay property via lake barge. The house made its voyage across Lake Coeur d’Alene on Thursday and arrived just fine. (Courtesy photo)
By DEVIN WEEKS
Staff Writer
COEUR d’ALENE — John Swallow and his wife, Erin, stood on the porch of the historic "White House" after it made the voyage across Lake Coeur d'Alene to its new home on their Casco Bay property.
"Sorta feels like when we brought our first son home from the hospital," John said Thursday afternoon. "It becomes very real. And 110 percent awesome."
For the past year, this 1903 home has been on their minds.
John, a local businessman with an impressive resume of restoring historic Coeur d'Alene landmarks, including the Northern Pacific train depot, was contacted by the Kootenai County Historical Society when conversations began to arise about what to do with the old house.
The house was nestled in the trees off Northwest Boulevard just south of the U.S. 95 overpass on the grounds of the Village at Orchard Ridge senior and assisted senior living. It once served as home of the president of Coeur d'Alene College, or "Swedish College," a four-year liberal arts school that opened in 1907 and closed during World War I. It was located on the west end of Coeur d'Alene in a grove of pines overlooking the Spokane River, but closed in 1917.
In 1921, a group of Lutherans who had purchased the land opened Coeur d'Alene Homes for orphans and older adults. The college dorms housed the residents and the "White House" housed the facility superintendent until the 1960s.
Although the Village at Orchard Ridge's staff and officials had used the building for office space in the past, it had been used for storage in recent years.
"A few years ago, the board created a long-range plan that covered the next 20 years. Part of that is building to meet the demands for senior housing," said Village at Orchard Ridge Executive Director Ann Johnson. "The plan was in 10 to 15 years to have buildings on that site, and the house made it impossible to do that."
Rather than tear it down, Johnson and Village officials reached out to the community to find someone who could rescue the piece of Coeur d'Alene history.
"A few people were interested, but no one ever reacted the way John Swallow did. He seemed like the perfect person for it," Johnson said. "What I loved most about it were the bedrooms upstairs with the slanted ceilings and the wood floors. It had a lot of woodwork in it, but it wasn't well kept, so I know he will restore that to where it should be."
After meticulous planning, networking, communication and preparation, John and partner Rob Johnson and their team began work last Friday to move the "White House" to the Swallow property via lake barge.
Late Wednesday night and into the wee hours Thursday morning, crews lifted the roughly 2,000-square-foot, two-story house onto a trailer and hauled it through the Cedars and Hagadone Marine parking lots to set sail to its new home.
"I have a little sense of loss because I was very attached to that house, but at the same time, I am thrilled it is going to a good home, and John is a trusted person in our community who has proved that he is passionate about restoring historical landmarks," Johnson said. "I know that he plans on preserving that in our history for a long, long time."
John grew up in Coeur d'Alene and has personal ties to and many memories of the Lake City's history.
"I stood there with my bike when Woolworths burned down," he said.
He has been beyond excited to work on this project and give this old home a new life. He said he won't be changing anything on the outside of the house, but some updates will be done inside, while maintaining the historic feel so his family and friends may enjoy this piece of yesteryear. He said in the future, he’ll be open to the idea of hosting visitors and possibly community events.
"I'm hoping that this shows other people it's not impossible," he said. "If I'm taking a house across the lake, it can be done. It's not impossible. Why just go tear something down? The intangible return we get from saving it and knowing you did that, you can't put a dollar amount on it."