The house on West Second Street is easy to drive past — for several years, no one has lived there; no activity surrounds it, other than the cars coming and going in the Brown Library parking lot beside it. It’s a mish-mash of style in brick: Tudor Revival can be seen in its roof pitch, Colonial Revival in its interior living room mantelpiece and stairs. It’s not large, but it once housed a family of four, with a governess, mother-in-law and aunt. Its Art Deco-period details make preservationists want to do what they can to save this little piece of Washington history.

For the past several months, City of Washington officials have debated what to do with the brick home built in 1935 by Henry Clay Carter, which the city now owns. Tuesday night, the city petitioned the Historic Preservation Commission for a certificate of appropriateness to remove the house so the Brown Library can expand. The commission continued the request and now has 90 days in which to act — at risk is the house itself. Denying the city’s request would give a year-long window in which to find a solution to the preservation problem.

According to Emily Rebert, community development planner with the City of Washington, it will take a concerted effort to save the house.

“You have to have as many alliances as possible working together,” Rebert said.

Rebert listed the many organizations that could play a role in the preservation of the Henry Clay Carter house: Preservation NC, the state Historic Preservation Office, Washington City Council, the Historic Preservation Commission, Washington Area Historic Foundation, city staff and private individuals.

“It’s everyone working together,” Rebert said. “To save this house, it doesn’t take one person; it takes everyone. And moving at a faster pace rather than slower.”

Rebert pointed out that the house does need a new roof, so time is of the essence, especially since it has been and remains unoccupied. She remarked on the phenomenon regarding how empty houses deteriorate much more rapidly than those that are lived in.

“Even if people are rough to it, it always fares better,” Rebert said.

Rebert said there have been many ideas have been put forth about possible uses for the home.

One is to use it as an extension to the library.

“People have asked if there’s any way that the library can keep it and annex it as something else, for instance, a children’s library,” Rebert said. “I think it would be an interesting addition for some kind of archives.”

Another is to work with Preservation NC, with Preservation NC acting as a middleman to sell the house, so the city would not have to go through an upset bid process in selling it.

“Preservation NC is instrumental in saving a lot of houses across the state and they offer a lot of options to do that,” Rebert said.

Several individuals have asked about saving it themselves, including options to lease it from the city, rehab it themselves, then use it as office space or some type of rental.

The Pamlico Rose Institute, a nonprofit that seeks to restore “distressed” homes in the historic district for veterans’ housing, has inquired about the modest brick home.

Another person suggested it be turned into museum; another, a tool rental shop for people working on historic homes.

Others have suggested it be moved to another location, but moving a brick house is very difficult to move according to Maggie Gregg, eastern regional director of Preservation NC.

“(Gregg) said if that is the very, very last option, that Preservation (NC) would be participating in that as well,” Rebert said.

For now, the Henry Clay Carter house a few months of breathing room and many people are pitching in ideas for a preservation plan, Rebert said.

“Regardless that it was continued the other night; regardless that if they had passed it on the 365 (day) timeframe, my goals have not changed,” Rebert said. “And that would be to save the house.”