The historic Arnott-Haber House was moved last week so it can be preserved as workers continue to build the future site of an Amazon warehouse at the intersection of Route 17K and Route 747 in the Town of Montgomery.

The structure was moved slightly to the right of the Amazon site so it will not interfere with construction.

“It’s a federal style house and it’s one that is part of Orange County’s history,” said Archeology & Historic Resource Services President and Historic Preservation Specialist Maria Audin. “So it’s really nice to see that it’s being preserved and moved and we’re going to try to find a new use for it.”

The house was built in 1820 and is located on the Amazon site. It was first inhabited by James Arnott and his family. They farmed a number of acres there. The family’s descendants lived in the house over the years. The last deeds date back to the 1930s and it has laid vacant for at least 20 years.

Making the house mobile was quite the undertaking. The structure was placed on 32 ply tires as well as hydraulic jacks that are all synchronized together so that no matter where the ground may drop out the house will stay level. Supports were placed on the exterior and temporary bracing was put on the interior.

“We’ve been continuously working at this for many months to get this thing done,” said Joseph Minuta, CEO/COO and Architect in Responsible Charge of Minuta Architecture, PLLC.

The team responsible for this process included Audin, StandBack General Contractors, LLC Chief Operating Officer Thomas Amend, Joe Nicholas of Nicholas Bros. Inc., who is responsible for moving the house.

The house will be pulled by a crane from a train system.

“We are working with Team Sailfish to figure out what the community use is for this building,” said Montgomery Town Supervisor Brian Maher. “One thing we don’t want is to save it and have it be sitting vacant.”

Maher added that he is excited to work with the community to develop uses for the house. Anyone with ideas can call Maher at 845-457-2600 extension 2 or email suggestions to bmaher@townofmontgomery.com.