Habitat for Humanity of Marion County moved a house from the 900 Block of Union to East 1st Streets in Pella Thursday as part of a first-of-its-kind project.

Joel Verhoef with Habitat for Humanity tells KNIA/KRLS News the house move stemmed from Derek and Shelley Bradfield, who were looking to sell the house and vacate a property next to where they live. From there, Verhoef says Habitat sought the opportunity to broaden the group’s horizons by saving the historic home.

“There was some work we had to do, there was a back porch that had to come off for the move to happen and a chimney that had to come down, and a lot of demo work to get it to the point it was ready to move,” he says. The group, with help from local churches, also built a new foundation for the structure at it’s new location on East 1st.

Habitat is currently seeking a family to move into the moved home, with the application process open over the next few weeks.