The old white church with the red doors that's stood for over a century on Ashworth Road has been lifted up and moved about 150 feet away from the road.

The Maple Grove Methodist Church moved out of its centenarian-and-then-some home after building a new worship building in 2018, but plans to move and preserve the iconic original church building to protect it from a widening Ashworth Road were set in motion in 2017.

On Tuesday, the historic church was lifted up onto a wheeled platform and moved to its new foundation just a little farther back from the street.

The Maple Grove Church, which stands in a grove of oaks, has long served what was a historically rural community that includes the outer edges of West Des Moines and Waukee, an area that is growing exponentially suburban.

As part of a voluntary agreement with the city of West Des Moines made when the church approached the city about building a new worship center, the structure has been moved back from the road while, in return, the city has compensated the church for approximately $24,000, according to Jason Schlickbernd, an engineer with West Des Moines.

The church plans to renovate the nearly 12-decades-old building by adding on restrooms and making other improvements in order to make use of it as a community space. Ron Sweeney, a trustee of the church, said the entire process of moving the building, installing it in its new location and the planned renovations will cost around $90,000.

Part of the city's compensation will go toward this total while a Go Fund Me started by members of the church with a goal of $50,000 and grants will make up the difference.

The land both church buildings stand on was purchased in 1900 for the price of $1, according to the church.

"The preservation of the building was work that was started by former members that had passed away, along with current older members," said Sweeney, whose wife, Candy, has been a member of the Maple Grove congregation for 60 years. "It's an icon for people in West Des Moines and Waukee."

Gale Brubaker, Executive Director of the West Des Moines Historical Society, said that, although she had helped facilitate introductions between the congregation and the city, it was purely through the church's work that the building was preserved.

"It's a triumph of the congregation," she said.

Ashworth Road is being widened to five lanes between Jordan Creek Parkway and 98th Street in order to accommodate growing traffic flow between West Des Moines and Waukee, according to Schlickbernd.

Follow the Register on Facebook and Twitter for more news.Aaron Calvin can be contacted at acalvin@dmreg.com or on Twitter @aaronpcalvin.