NORWAY — Work to move the Gingerbread House up Main Street is expected to begin in two weeks.

Nancy Merry of James G. Merry Building Movers in Scarborough said Wednesday that they have just completed a longer-than-expected job in Old Orchard Beach. The company is about to start a short job to lift a cottage in Windham then plan to head to Norway.

“He felt it would be close to March 1,” Merry said of her husband James’ time schedule for the Gingerbread House move.

The Gingerbread House, now situated near the intersection of Main Street and Pikes Hill Road, will be moved up the street to a small lot by Butters Park near the Pennesseewassee dam. The 80-foot by 17-foot building, also known as the Evans-Cummings House, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s nickname stems from its elaborate “gingerbread” trim that was put on the home during a late 19th century renovation.

The company will spend a week “loading” the Gingerbread House on wheels and then make the actual move up the street.

The porch and an outside chimney have been removed from the two-story building as part of the preparation process. Site work at the building’s new home near Butters Park on Main Street has been completed.

Merry said the company has been keeping in close contact with members of the Norway Landmarks Preservation Society.

Volunteers from the Norway Landmarks Preservation Society, the nonprofit organization which is doing business as Friends of the Gingerbread House, have worked for the past two years to acquire the building and move it to a new lot.

C’s Inc., which is a real estate holding company affiliated with Sun Media Group, publishers of the Sun Journal and Advertiser-Democrat, agreed late in 2008 to delay demolition of the 1851 historic home if anyone could successfully figure out a way to move the house off site. The volunteers banded together to save the landmark building.

ldixon@sunjournal.com