GFU Historic Hodson House Moving to Second Street Lot

NEWBERG, Ore. — Last Thursday, commuters heading past George Fox University (GFU) may have seen an unusual sight: a tan and red historic house propped up roughly three feet in the air by wooden blocks in the middle of the North Meridian Street parking lot.

The Hodson House, also known as the Center for Peace Learning, was disconnected from its foundation on the corner of North Meridian Street and East Sherman Street and lifted until it could be moved across town to a newly vacant lot in the 600 block of Second Street between Willcuts Company Realtors and Yore Place! Plumbing. The university is moving the house to make way for more parking, said GFU Director of University Relations Rob Felton.

The historic house was still in very good shape, Felton said, so GFU reached out to a few community partners who might make use of the house. It was first offered to the Newberg Area Habitat for Humanity, he said, but they were unable to use it. Local investor Doug Petersen heard about the project and offered to move the house to a vacant lot he owns.

“It’s a narrow lot, and [The Hodson House] is a fairly narrow house at 25 feet across,” Petersen said. “This one is in surprisingly solid shape. All of the necessary fixes have been taken care of. The travel is probably going to be the hardest part of this project.”

The project has been a behemoth, Petersen said, only possible through the assistance from City of Newberg Planning Manager Clay Downing and GFU Assistant Vice President of Facilities Jeremiah Horton.

To transport the house to its new location, they’ll need to load the one-and-a-half-story house onto a truck and slowly drive it through town, crossing Oregon Highway 99W twice (East Hancock and East First Streets). They’re planning to trim trees in the area that may impede movement and then move power and telecommunications lines out of the way.

All of this, Petersen said, is to help preserve some of Newberg and GFU’s history.

“We’re leaving the exterior as-is,” Petersen said. “We want to put an informational plaque up, we want to make sure it’s on the walking tour—it’s there for good, and we’ll make sure the history is preserved.”

The Hodson House, built in 1896, was first the home of Mr. and Mrs. Emory W. Hodson from 1900 to 1938, according to GFU archive documents. The Hodsons were druggists working at 606 East First Street, according to business records from 1912. The house is listed as in “excellent” condition.

“The building is significant for establishing the historic character of the area and maintaining integrity of design and materials,” said a GFU historic record about the house.

The lot is a commercial lot, according to the City of Newberg. Petersen said he will keep the lot zoned for commercial operations and will lease the house to a business in the future.

“It’s going to add to Second Street,” he said. “It really fits the character of the street—I love how it’s developing, and can’t wait to see what it becomes and what another business brings to the area.”

Petersen said he’s coordinating the transportation of the house and does not have a clear date for when they will move it. Those who live in the area will receive advance notices about the day of the transportation and any corresponding closures or interruptions of service.