RIVERTON — As city officials negotiate selling the historic Crane House Museum, a group of Riverton residents is attempting to raise $400,000 to move the home for a second time to a new location.
The Riverton City Council voted last week to authorize the city attorney to begin the process of selling the public museum to Nancy Long, who owns the majority of the property underneath it.
In roughly 30 days, the City Council is expected to make the final decision on the home's sale, based on the terms of the contract.
Long, owner of Gardner Village in West Jordan, plans to lease the building to Diane Peterson and Alana May. The two own Georgell Doll Shop in the shopping district and want museum space to house Utahn Lucile Georgell's collection of 10,000 dolls.
City Attorney Ryan Carter estimates that moving the house — a pricey, dangerous process that would involve obtaining the house through eminent domain and fighting a court battle with Long — would cost upwards of $400,000.
Museum advocates, many of whom were involved in the building's move 13 years ago, are devastated over the looming sale.
"It's very disappointing and disheartening," said Leesa Lloyd, chairwoman of the Riverton Museum at the Crane House board. "Now how can we get out and raise $400,000? That's not even realistic."
Despite the high figure, Lloyd is leading efforts to raise money to save the Crane House, which currently functions as a free art museum. Her mother, former Mayor Sandra Lloyd, rallied residents and local businesses to move the building 13 years ago. Descendants of original owners Heber and Mary Crane have already pledged $20,000 for a second move.
But the city is stuck in a hairy legal situation. The home moved to its current location at 1640 W. 13200 South in 1996, when developers wanted to demolish it for a Taco Bell. Roughly two-thirds of the home sits on private property in the parcel.
"Even if funds are provided to come up with a solution to this thing, there is no easy solution," said Carter, noting that the legal problems would not go away. "I don't know if anyone is going to be happy about it."
Results of a citywide survey show that most residents are in favor of selling the house to Long. Fifty percent of respondents want the city to sell the Crane House, 14 percent were undecided and 36 percent said it should be preserved. Only 31 percent had actually visited the Crane House.
Leesa Lloyd, though, is encouraged by those numbers. She says 31 percent museum usage in a city is very high.
"I feel like the city staff and mayor have been working against us the whole way," she said. "With the loss of this house, there's (no historical buildings) left."
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