Historically old Faribault home up for auction again

FARIBAULT, Minn. (FOX 9) - This white clapboard house has been at the corner of Central Avenue and 8th Street in Faribault for more than 160 years.

Now Rice County is hoping someone will step forward to give the old building a new home.

"We just heard about the house being as old as it was and decided to stop and take a look at it," Dave Roethle of Northfield told FOX 9 outside the house Monday. "I think it's a great idea. You got a house that's that old and there is that much history wrapped up in it. It would be a shame to just lose it." 

County officials believe the building was built in 1855, three years before Minnesota became a state, and around the same time Alexander Faribault founded the town and built his own home just a few blocks away.

The Rice County Historical Society believes the building may have been a store or a brewery at one time, making it one of the oldest commercial buildings in the state.

"The architecture is not something we see anymore. Homes look different today. This is a fine example of the mid-19th century architecture," Rice County Communications Coordinator Susan Rook says.

A building that was built in 1855, three years before Minnesota became a state, and around the same time Alexander Faribault founded its town is again up for auction. 

Recently the building has fallen on hard times and tax forfeiture. The county tried to sell it last fall, but didn't receive any bids.

Now the county is taking proposals until Friday for someone to move, renovate and restore the house, which could cost as much as $600,000, so the county can sell the tiny lot underneath.

"They can't put in a driveway so there is no off-street parking. You can't put a business here. Again no off street parking. So it's a bit of a conundrum," Rook said.

County officials say that while the building has a lot of history, it's not on the National Register Of Historic Places because among other reasons, the interior was gutted for a renovation project which was never completed. 

Now they are hoping someone will save a piece of Faribault's history and bring it back to its former glory.

"I think it's part of the state's history. It's part of us here in Minnesota. It's part of who we were at one point in time," Roethle said.