Johnson County’s All-Electric House completes its move to Overland Park ahead of schedule

The Johnson County Museum’s 1950s All-Electric House hit the road Tuesday night and completed its nine-mile journey to its new home much quicker than anticipated.

Dozens of onlookers lined the route as workers used heavy machinery to move the house from the museum grounds at 6305 Lackman Road in Shawnee.

The house departed about 7 p.m., headed to the new Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center at 8788 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park, the former site of the King Louie bowling alley

Though the trip was expected to take up to 12 hours, the house arrived at its new home about midnight and was ushered into the building by about 1 a.m.

The early arrival was attributed to teamwork, fewer technical issues than expected and the ability to reach a maximum speed of 11 mph, rather than 3 to 5 mph as originally anticipated, said Sharon Watson, director of public affairs and communications with the Johnson County manager’s office in an email.

The move required traffic closures along Shawnee Mission Parkway and Metcalf Avenue, before the house arrived in the morning. A motorcade of police and utility vehicles accompanied the house on its way.

This is the second time that the house has been relocated. It was built in 1953 by Kansas City Power & Light Co. and donated to the museum. It was moved to Shawnee in October 1994.

 

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 9:21 PM with the headline "Johnson County’s All-Electric House completes its move to Overland Park ahead of schedule."