Suffolk News-Herald

A piece of the past will soon be delivered to Riddick’s Folly.

The Industrial Development Authority on Wednesday voted to loan the organization $25,000 to move a tiny Greek Revival house from the Holland area to the city’s historic mansion on North Main Street.

Riddick’s Folly bought the ornate circa-1850s building, believed to have once been a lawyer or doctor’s office at the intersection of Longstreet Lane and Vicksburg Road, last year for $800.

The building is almost identical to sketches of one that Nathaniel Riddick, son of Riddick’s Folly’s original owner, Mills Riddick, had built in the mid-1800s for his law practice, said Jay Butler, past president of the organization’s board of directors.

&uot;It matches the architecture of Riddick’s Folly perfectly,&uot; said Butler. &uot;Sitting next to the Riddick’s Folly and next to the old courthouse, it’s going to be a wonderful tie-in to the whole corner.

&uot;It’s just going to be beautiful.&uot;

Robin Rountree, executive director of Riddick’s Folly, believes Riddick’s original building has been gone since the early 1900s. She said Nathaniel Riddick, who died in the 1880s, practiced law before and after the Civil War.

Riddick’s Folly will be repaying the IDA loan in eight quarterly installments, beginning in late 2004 or early 2005, said Elizabeth McCoury, the city’s director of downtown development.

McCoury estimated it would be 60 to 90 days before the structure could be moved. She said the first step would be to get approval from the Historic Landmarks Commission later this month.