The effort to relocate the 11,000-ton building was nearly 100 years ago

The headquarters of Indiana Bell, a subsidiary of mobile service provider AT&T in the US state of Indiana, is located in an 8-story, 11,000-ton building built in 1907. In 1929, the company decided it needed a new building. larger, but the old building cannot be demolished because it provides an essential service to the city. The building is also located in a less convenient location. In the end, they decided to move the old building to the back of the lot to make room for the new construction, according to Amusing Planet.

Work began in October 1930. Over the next four weeks, the steel and brick building was moved little by little 16 meters south, rotated 90 degrees, then inched another 30 meters west. The relocation process was completed with such precision that the building continued to operate throughout the duration of the move.

All lines and pipes used in a building, including thousands of telephone cables, electrical wires, gas pipes, sewer pipes and water pipes, need to be long and flexible to provide continuous service while moving. . A movable wooden sidewalk allows employees and residents to enter and exit the building at any time while the movement is taking place. Indiana Bell Company did not lose a single business day and did not need to interrupt service during that time.

In particular, most of the force needed to move the building comes from hand-controlled jacks, and a steam locomotive also participates in support. Each time the jack is raised, the building moves one centimeter. The building existed for another 33 years in its new location until it was demolished to make way for a new headquarters expansion project.