Work begins to take down Justus Ramsey House

Workers on Monday began taking down the historic Justus Ramsey House, now on the patio of Burger Moe's restaurant in St. Paul. Damage to the house had prompted Burger Moe's owner to seek a demolition permit for the 170-year-old stone cottage, one of St. Paul's oldest houses.

Instead, after preservationists sounded the alarm, city leaders reached a compromise. The City Council has approved $34,000 to take down the house and store it, to be later moved to a site still to be determined. The tiny limestone house from the city's pioneer era is listed on several historic registries, including the National Register of Historic Places.