The two-story, white, stucco structure, informally known as the Lester House, dates to approximately 1920, said Emily Foster, Lakeland's senior planner for historic preservation.

LAKELAND — The median home price in Lakeland is $159,100. A house near the city's center is now available for exactly $159,100 below that price.

The only drawback: location, location, location. This house needs a new one.

Drivers on South Florida Avenue in recent days might have noticed a V-shaped sign reading, “HISTORIC LAKELAND HOME. FREE YOU MOVE IT.”

The house at 1823 S. Florida Ave. belongs to the South Florida Avenue Church of Christ, which sits just north of it. The two-story, white, stucco structure, informally known as the Lester House, dates to approximately 1920, said Emily Foster, Lakeland’s senior planner for historic preservation.

Moving the 3,825-square-foot house would be a prodigious task. It is more than twice the size of the “Tudor House,” the historic structure Gregory Fancelli had hauled less than a mile in 2014 from the corner of Lake Hollingsworth Drive and Patten Heights Street to its current spot at 1221 S. Florida Ave., where it serves as part of the Cob & Pen restaurant.

The congregation of the Church of Christ used the house as a parsonage for more than 50 years, said John McShane, a deacon. The church’s current pulpit minister, Hiram Kemp, chose not to live in the house upon arriving four years ago, McShane said.

With no remaining use for the structure, the congregation wanted to demolish the house.

But the building lies within the boundaries of the Beacon Hill Historic District. Foster said McShane met with her a few months ago and told him a demolition application would have to be approved by the city’s Historic Preservation Board.

“Obviously we would prefer to see that building saved,” Foster said.

The Historic Preservation Board would be hesitant to approve demolition because the house is deemed a “contributing structure,” Foster said, based on its age and architecture. She described the style as “masonry vernacular.”

City records show the house was built for Dr. John G. Lester and his wife, Gladys, who continued to occupy the home until 1957. Lester, a urologist, sold the house that year to the adjacent Church of Christ. Foster said the architect’s name is lost to history.

The Polk County Property Appraiser has assessed the house’s value at $178,000.

One Lakeland resident has already explored the possibility of taking possession of the house to move it. Joni Costa requested permission to demolish a small house she owns at 115 W. Park St. and relocate the church’s building there, according to records from the Sept. 27 meeting of the Historic Preservation Board.

Foster said the board’s Design Review Committee approved razing the house on Park Street, which is in the Dixieland Historic District, and gave conceptual assent to moving the Lester house. The Park Street house has since been demolished.

McShane, though, said Costa had determined the plan isn’t financially feasible. He said a company gave an estimate of about $170,000 for the move itself and a total of about $330,000 to install it in livable condition.

Fancelli told The Ledger it cost about $100,000 just for the physical move of the Tudor House.

McShane said the Lester House would need upgrades in wiring and plumbing to meet current code requirements.

City approval is required for relocation of the house. Foster said the Historic Preservation Board would review an application to ensure the new location offers sufficient setbacks from property lines.

As of Monday afternoon, McShane said, three parties were interested in the house. One potential owner mentioned the prospect of moving the house near Lake Hollingsworth, he said.

As McShane led a tour Monday afternoon, it was clear the house has been greatly modified inside, though some vintage details can be seen, such as a transom over a door and push-button light switches. Hardwood floors are visible in the front rooms, and a gap in a kitchen wall offers a glimpse of the wooden, interior structure.

The front room encloses what was originally a large, open porch, and the original front door opens toward a narrow hallway to the upstairs. The house contains two full bathrooms on each floor. The downstairs bathrooms have the original tile floors.

The house has three dormers. Many of the original windows have been replaced with jalousie windows.

The original structure is roughly 50 feet wide and 35 feet deep. Two back wings were added after 1947, according to city records.

McShane said a mover indicated the house would need to be separated into its three parts before being moved.

Foster said it’s possible the city would approve demolition of the Lester House if the church can’t find anyone willing to take on the expense of moving it.

“It would come to the Preservation Board, and they would make a decision and they would consider what lengths the church went to to try to relocate the house and offer it for relocation,” she said. “But the board would also consider its historic status and whether demolishing that structure would adversely affect the integrity of the historic district and would look at the buildings around it and see how it contributes to the fabric of the streetscape.”

McShane said the church has no immediate plans for the space the house would vacate. He said it would probably be used for parking.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.