By Beth Clark
The Kincaid House, the 19th-century brick Italianate farmhouse at the corner of 106th Street and Kincaid Drive that was threatened with demolition June 9, will have a new address on land donated by local company Navient, formerly Sallie Mae.
According to a joint press release by the Noblesville Preservation Alliance, a non-profit organization that promotes the preservation of historic homes, and by loan management company Navient, the company will allocate two acres of land on the west side of its Fishers campus for the relocation of the historic Kincaid House.
The house is saved, almost.
With the land secured, Noblesville Preservation Alliance is now focused on raising the funds needed to move the Kincaid House from its current location to Navient’s campus on USA Parkway this fall.
“We are halfway to saving the Kincaid House, thanks to Navient’s generous land donation,” said Mike Corbett, Noblesville Preservation Alliance treasurer. “In the coming days and weeks, we will determine a budget and plan to move this historic farmhouse as soon as possible.”
Although the house will need to travel less than a mile to its future home between Interstate 69 and Navient’s 470,000-square foot facility, the cost of moving the 153-year-old solid brick house is significant. Even a substantial contribution from the present owner of the property, development and construction firm Thompson Thrift, will only cover a portion of the estimated $100,000 cost of relocation.
In addition to the expense of relocation, the Noblesville Preservation Alliance and partner organizations must also consider a future use for the house.
Shortly before the house was scheduled for demolition in early June, Indiana Landmarks and the Noblesville Preservation Alliance, along with Hamilton County Tourism, the Hamilton County Historical Society, and Fishers’ Historic Ambassador House, entered into discussions with the Town of Fishers and Thompson Thrift to save the house from the wrecking ball.
The farmhouse, built by the Peter Flanagan family in 1861 from clay bricks made on-site, was more recently owned by Dan Kincaid, a descendant of Loma E. Kincaid, the founder of L.E. Kincaid Meat Market in Indianapolis. Thompson Thrift acquired the house and property in 2013. Convinced of its historical significance and backed by public support in favor of saving the house, Thompson Thrift agreed to halt demolition and provide time for the organizations involved to consider options to relocate the structure.
Navient, in an effort to help preserve one of Fishers few remaining historical buildings, donated land for the Kincaid House. The company will resign ownership of the land to whoever agrees to rehabilitate and maintain the house after it is moved.
Tax-deductible donations will be accepted at http://movethekincaidhouse.org through September 30.
