Three years ago next week, the Supreme Court issued one of its most controversial decisions so far this century: Kelo v. City of New London, which said a home could be taken under eminent domain powers even if the property is turned over to another private owner as part of an economic development plan. The Institute for Justice, which represented aggrieved owner Susette Kelo, turned the loss into a national grassroots movement that has produced eminent domain reforms in 42 states so far.
On Saturday, the pink Kelo house in New London, Conn., that started it all — it was moved after the property was seized — will be dedicated as a monument to that movement. The Arlington, Va.-based institute paid for the house to be moved to its new location in the heart of New London, on a piece of land owned by local preservationist Avner Gregory. Gregory now owns and will live in the 100-year-old house, but it will also be open to the public at times and will bear a plaque about its history. Susette Kelo herself has moved to the nearby town of Groton, Conn.
