Retro Indy: Rotating the Indiana Bell building

In 1929, the Indiana Bell Telephone Company purchased the Central Union Telephone Company Building and had plans to demolish and build a much larger headquarters on the site. Architect Kurt Vonnegut Sr. had other plans. He suggested the building could be moved to make room for expansion.

John Eichlea Co of Pittsburgh was contractor for the move while Bevington, Taggert & Fowler were the engineers, Vonnegut, Bohn & Mueller were the project architects.

Between Oct. 12 and Nov. 14 1930 the eight-story 11,000-ton Indiana Bell building was shifted 52 feet south along Meridian St. and rotated 90 degrees to face New York St. Workmen used a concrete mat cushioned by Oregon fir timbers 75-ton, hydraulic jacks and rollers, as the mass moved off one roller workers placed another ahead of it. Every six strokes of the jacks would shift the building three-eights of an inch - moving it 15 inches per hour.

Gas, electric heat, water and sewage were were maintained to the building all during the move. The 600 workers entered and left the traveling structure using a sheltered passageway that moved with the building. The employees never felt the building move and telephone service went on without interruption. And yes, the move took less than 30 days. It remains one of the largest buildings ever moved. The building was demolished in 1963.