PITTSFIELD – A turn-of-the-century house is being offered free by the town of Pittsfield. The catch: The new owner must move it from its current location.

The two-story, 14-room home was built in 1900 overlooking Main Street and Hathorn Park.

“This is a perfectly good building,” said Town Manager Kathryn Ruth. “I’d hate to see someone just knock it down.”

But the building must go, she said, to make room for Pittsfield’s Public Library – located next door – to expand.

The home was purchased by the town in 2001 from the heirs of Leland and Barbara Inman for $50,000 to enable the library project to proceed.

Ruth said the building contains duplex side-by-side apartments and that one is in excellent condition, while the other needs some cosmetic work. The building has a wooden exterior, a hot-water heating system and boasts six bedrooms, two kitchens and two bathrooms – 14 rooms in all, she said.

Quotes for moving the structure are currently being received by the town, said Ruth, but the building itself is being offered free. “The building is free to the successful bidder, provided that it is moved free of expense and liability to the town,” she said.

Details of the requirements of the move are available at the town office. When reviewing the quotes, said Ruth, the town will consider the timeliness of removal, the technical expertise of the firm or individual, the terms of reuse and the details of the overall plan to move the building.

The building will be open for inspection from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, and all quotes must be received by 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 3.

Pittsfield recently put another town-owned property, one that could not be saved, out to bid and the bids ranged from nearly $30,000 to $110,000, said Ruth.

“The town’s budget is conservative and we didn’t want to spend that kind of money to destroy a sound building,” she said. “Besides, having the building moved instead of demolished or burned fits our commitment to ‘reuse and recycle.'”

The library will celebrate its 100th birthday next year, having been built in 1904 at a cost of $12,000. In 1983, the library was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That same year, Maine artist and humorist Tim Sample painted a mural in the interior of the library’s dome.

But a recent study by the Central Maine Library District in Augusta determined the current space at the Pittsfield facility is about half of what is recommended for the size of Pittsfield’s population and book and materials collection. An ambitious fund-raiser is under way to construct a new, $1 million addition to the west side of the library, site of the historic home.

The library project is expected to take place over the next three years. Because the structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the existing library will be renovated but will remain intact.

Two additions are planned for the west side of the structure. The first section would house a new ground-level entrance and elevator to allow for handicapped access, a new circulation desk and computer area, as well as access to a new basement community meeting room. The second section would contain a new children and young adults section, all within easy sight and access of the staff.

The existing library would be renovated to include quiet reading spaces, expanded shelf space and media centers.

Grant funds were used to complete a needs assessment and consulting services, and the fund-raising portion of the project is under way.

This would be the first fund-raiser the library has ever conducted.