Wie 1930 ein Haus um 90 Grad gedreht wurde

1930 hat man das Indiana Bell building in Indianapolis um 90 Grad gedreht. Eigentlich sollte es abgerissen werden, aber man entschied sich dagegen und schuf durch die Drehung Platz für einen Neubau. Der Prozess dauerte vier Wochen, während 600 Angestellte weiterhin täglich ihrer Arbeit im Inneren des Hauses nachgingen.

This massive undertaking of moving the building began in 1930 and took over four weeks to complete. The relocation involved shifting the massive steel and brick building inch by inch 16 meters south, before rotating 90 degrees, and shifting again, 30 meters west. One of the most incredible parts was that most of the power needed to move the building was provided by hand-operated jacks while a steam engine was also employed to provide some support. Essentially, the workmen used a concrete mat cushioned by Oregon fir timbers, with hydraulic jacks and rollers, and moved the mass off one roller, while placing another ahead of it concurrently. The manually operated jack screws helped move the building in a straight line. Each jack screw was operated by a team of men that turned handles through an arc of 90 degrees six times in about 30 seconds.

(via Nag on the lake)