Dawn Mitchell | IndyStar

Dawn Mitchell, dawn.mitchell@indystar.com



When Indianapolis Star reporter David Lindquist wrote about the plans for a mural of former Indiana Pacer Reggie Miller on "The Mich" building at 127 E. Michigan St. in September, he noted that the building had been moved to its current location in 1926 to make way for the Indiana War Memorial Plaza.

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That move was featured in a video compilation of Indianapolis shot by Indianapolis photographer and videographer Harry Humbert Coburn, who also was displaced by the plaza construction. The film was later reproduced and distributed by the Indiana State Library.



The few minutes of film, which shows the Herculean effort and ingenuity used by man and beast, does the move more justice than any story could tell. Nevertheless, here goes.

On the move: Rotating the Indiana Bell Building

Monumental Indianapolis: Touring Indianapolis memorials



When the plans were established for the plaza in 1921, 45 buildings in a five-block area between Meridian, St. Clair, Pennsylvania and New York streets were tagged for demolition to make room for the $15,000,000 complex to honor Indiana’s veterans and their role in the nation's conflicts. The plaza would include the War Memorial, Cenotaph Square and headquarters of the American Legion.



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Two churches, Second Presbyterian Church, at Vermont and Pennsylvania streets, and First Baptist Church, at Vermont and Meridian streets, were allowed to stay in their location. Both churches were razed in 1960, however, after their congregations moved to new locations.

By 1926, work on the plaza began and the area was a frenzy of demolition. Homes, apartment buildings, hotels, businesses and manufacturers were appraised and purchased by the city and demolished — well, most of them. Crowds gathered daily to watch, as massive structures, not homes, were literally picked up and moved to a new location.

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Indianapolis was experiencing a housing boom in the 1920s. Apartments were a hot commodity and rather than tackle the expense of construction, Z.B Hunt purchased the six-story 1917 Haugh Hotel at 11 E. Michigan St. and moved it to 127 E. Michigan Street.



The process took three months, but the seemingly impossible movement of the building by Pittsburgh’s Kress-Oravetz House Moving Co. lasted three weeks.

Not only was the hotel moved, but because of its length, it had to be rotated one quarter to face east, moved down the road, turned again and backed into its new location. Streetcar wires on Pennsylvania Street had to be cut.

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It was estimated that the building weighed nearly 30,000 tons. It was lifted by 650 giant 50-ton screw jacks. The actual raising was accomplished by turning the jacks with steel handles. On a full turn, each jack rose five-eighths of an inch until the required height was reached.

The structure was lifted in such a way that it would not slip or topple or the walls would not be cracked.

Once lifted, steel supports were placed under the building in a criss-cross pattern and beams the width of the building were put in place. Wooden railroad ties and rails were laid and steel rollers were placed on top of them. Using winches and horse teams, the building was pulled up on the rollers. There were 12 rails and more than 500 rollers used. The building was moved at a rate of 10 to 15 feet an hour.

When it reached its destination, the building it was rolled onto a new foundation and lowered into place — at a cost of $50,000. Once in place, the Haugh Hotel became the Michigan Apartments.



The Cambridge Apartments, formerly on the southwest corner of Pennsylvania and Michigan streets, was moved to the northwest corner of Delaware and North streets.

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The State Automobile Insurance Association purchased the vacated Bobbs-Merrill building at 32 E. Vermont St. and moved it to 122 E. Michigan St. Indiana University later purchased the building to house the Indianapolis Center and the School of Social Work. That building was later razed to construct the Minton-Capehart Federal Building.

The same method used to move those building was utilized again in 1929, when the eight-story 11,000-ton Indiana Bell building was moved 52 feet south along Meridian Street and rotated 90 degrees to face New York Street.

Construction for the Indiana War Memorial finally began in 1927.

Gen. John “Blackjack” Pershing, leader of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, laid the cornerstone on July 4. (There is a portrait of Pershing inside the memorial.)

Due to funding delays, however, work either slowed or stopped, and the building wasn't completed until 1965.

Follow IndyStar photo coordinator and RetroIndy writer Dawn Mitchell on Twitter: @dawn_mitchell61.

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