Cedar City's 1866 Hunter House faces demolition

CEDAR CITY — Time is running out for a Cedar City landmark that once was mortgaged to build the city's first high school.

The Hunter House, 86 E. Center, slipped from the family's hands years ago and now belongs to the Catholic diocese. That purchase isn't sitting well with family members and friends of the 139-year-old dwelling, now that plans for the house involve a wrecking ball.

"We tried to buy it back. We said, 'Name your price,' but they said 'No,' " Haze Hunter said of his great-grandfather's brick home, built in 1866 on a corner lot in the thick of town.

Hunter, a former state legislator, heads a committee that hopes to move and restore the original portion of the home, which has been added on to twice over the years.

"I hope we can save part of it. People are knocking bricks off and stealing them," the 81-year-old Hunter said of the house, which was placed on the National Historic Register in 1982. "It makes me mad."

The Catholic diocese bought the property the house sits on to add parking for the church's thrift store, said George Vasconi, manager of the expansion project.

"It was a real estate purchase, a business decision," said Vasconi, adding the diocese purchased the property after being told rent would rise by 40 percent. "The seller knew he needed to raze the house and put in more parking, but it was also for sale, so we bought it. The house really can't be used for any purpose unless it can be moved."

Moving the original 1,500-foot section of the house to the Iron Mission State Park a few miles away could cost around $100,000, said Hunter. Another $50,000 is needed to build a new foundation, and to renovate and restore the moved section.

To Scott and Barbara Hunt, who own a bed-and-breakfast inn not far away, the idea of moving a portion of the old house doesn't make sense. Tearing it down to build a parking lot is nearly obscene to them.

"If you move it, then it loses any sense of history," said Barbara Hunt, who is pushing to save the entire house in its present location. "The only way it's going to be saved is if enough people voice their concern to the Catholic Church. I'm so sick of hearing that it's a business decision. No one is sticking up for this home."

But a business decision is likely what it will stay, said Vasconi.

At a June meeting of the Cedar City Redevelopment Agency, members voted 3-2 to allocate $100,000 to help move the original section of the house to the Iron Mission State Park. Those funds haven't materialized yet and time is running out, Vasconi added.

"I met with the city and gave them a 60-day extension," he said. "Those 60 days are up at the end of this week."