SACO, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- A Saco home was reunited with the classic 1940 convertible that used to pull into its drive way.
There's a rich history at 90 Temple Street in Saco. A Queen Anne style home that once belonged to the Seavey Family. The building doesn't have the same life that it used to. Worn paint, boarded up windows and a patched roof. A building that Kelley Archer, Chair of Saco Historic Preservation Commission, has taken an interest in.
"Last lived in on April first in 2012," said Archer. "There was a huge fire and that's where the damage has been and nobody has lived in it since."
The house was featured on 207 in September for being on Maine Preservation's Most Endangered Historic Building's List. After that list was released, the Dyer Library in Saco got an interesting phone call from Larry Tribble of Connecticut. He was interested in tracking down the location of a gazebo in Saco where a photo of his 1940 LaSalle was taken. He got more info than he was looking for, discovering that the car was first registered to a Lenora Seavey who once lived at 90 Temple Street. It only seemed right to marry the historical home and the classic car back together again. Tribble sent the project manager of his car collection, Larry Phillips, to drive the LaSalle down the street it's all too familiar with.
"I've driven it before, but to be able to drive it around the very town that it resided in, it's special," said Phillips.
The convertible has been restored with an extra shine. If it's first of four owners was alive today, it would look just like it did when she drove it off the lot.
"Lenora Seavey Purchased it in 1940 and the car resided here until 1967," said Phillips. "She had it for 27 years in which time she drove it a massive 18,000 miles."
Phillips got the pictures he came for in front of the gazebo and home, but the background on Temple Street isn't as easy on the eyes as the first. It's why the LaSalle's visit is so timely, as momentum to save and restore 90 Temple Street is just getting off the ground. Project Volunteer, Frank Carr, is trying to find a way to put the historic tax credits the building is eligible for to good use.
"It's beautiful, it's historic and I want to see the excitement generated in this town and bring this back and bring some vitality back to this building for the town of Saco," said Carr.
Enough money has been raised to patch the roof that was left exposed after the 2012 fire, but there's much more work to be done. Carr is working on forming a non-profit to continue the job. He expects to have an estimate for how much the project will cost by February of 2018.