11,000 Ton Building Rotated 90° While All 600 Employees Continued To Work Inside

Credit: YouTube/ TCI PhoneVideos

When workers inside an 11,000-ton Indiana building were still inside, the building was rotated 90 degrees.

A dog being brought into the office or someone turning up the music too loudly may annoy you, but if 600 workers can continue working as their entire office building is being scooped up and turned 90 degrees, then you really have no excuse.

A building in Indianapolis, Indiana was moved ninety degrees without any problems, causing no disruptions to its phone, gas, heat, electricity, water, or sewage systems between October 12 and November 14, 1930.

Indeed, telephone connections are a crucial component, especially because the Indiana Bell Telephone Company was based in the Indiana Bell building.

Credit: YouTube/ TCI PhoneVideos

The Indiana Bell Telephone Company used the building as its headquarters and manual call center after it was first developed and constructed in 1907 for the Central Union Telephone Company.

When it was indicated that the building needed to be enlarged, Kurt Vonnegut Senior, the son of original architect Bernard Vonnegut I, suggested that the building must be moved to make room for a larger structure.

However, rather than simply moving it and starting over with a larger building, why not just demolish it?

Demolishing the building, which housed the Indiana Bell Telephone Company, would have meant stopping the company's operations, which were essential to the city's ability to function.

The choice was made to just move the building, but there was still the issue of how to accomplish so while the 600 people were still inside working.

Oh, and did I also mention that the structure's brick and steel frame weighed an incredible 11,000 tons? And was eight stories, around one hundred and thirty-five feet in size?

The utility pipes and cables in the building were extended and made more flexible so that employees of Indiana Bell Telephone Company could continue to run the phone lines and keep the city running.

The structure was raised using jacks and set up on rollers.

It was then gradually moved 16 meters southward, rotated 30 degrees, and then moved 30 meters westward.

This process was repeated until the building was facing Meridian Street in the downtown area and had been turned a total of 90 degrees.

If you're wondering if the pushing and pulling was done by someone with the strength of current world record holder Mitchell Hooper, fear not.

The workers were assisted by hydraulic jacks, rollers, and a steam engine that also provided power for the jacks.

Despite taking four weeks to finish, the transfer is nevertheless considered a huge success because not a single day during that time saw a breakdown in phone service or the need for employees to take a leave of absence.

Although the structure has since been demolished, it's still an impressive achievement and a priceless piece of historical knowledge for your next bar trivia.

It's like a story of how folks figured out a smart way to handle a big problem.

The tale of the Indiana Bell Telephone Company's seamless relocation serves as an inspiration for those seeking innovative solutions to seemingly tough challenges.