Thursday was moving day in Wilmette and Evanston as flatbed trucks loaded with sections of a nearly 90-year-old Prairie-style home crawled along the North Suburban roadways to the home's new lot.
Traffic restrictions and bus reroutes were in place along Green Bay Road, Isabella Street, Central Street, Crawford Avenue and Glenview Road for morning trek.
The precarious trek, which normally takes just minutes to make by car, took about four hours on an unseasonably cold March morning. The sections were moved at times at fewer than one mile an hour.
The home was built at 1318 Isabella St. in Wilmette in 1928 by architect John Van Bergen. It was set to be demolished when it was sold last fall for $10. The new owner said the move to the 2700 block of Crawford Avenue cost about $85,000.
The slow journey began in the parking lot of a future Whole Foods store on Green Bay Road, where the home -- split into three sections -- had temporarily been located.
Drivers and people taking public transportation were advised to allow extra travel time. The CTA rerouted bus #201 and the #206 Evanston Circulator. The CTA's rerouting information was posted at www.cityofevanston.org/housemove.
