http://www.paul-f.com/ibmove.html

bg image(gray)

                          
                         
                         Indiana Bell Building Move
        Click to go HOME
        Home             1930
        Map              
                         (c)2006 paulf.  All rights reserved.

                          (What's this copyright notice?)

                                  

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| From the Bell Telephone Quarterly, January 1931 -- "Moving the    |
| Indianapolis Telephone Building."                                 |
|                                                                   |
| After extensive study,  it was determined that the best use of    |
| the site and existing assets would be to move the existing        |
| headquarters building to the back corner of the lot, and build a  |
| new building fronting on Meridian Street.                         |
|                                                                   |
| The eight story steel-frame and brick building measured about 100 |
| x 135 feet and weighed about 11,000 tons.                         |
|                                                                   |
| The entire process took about a month.                            |
|                                                                   |
| During the move, work continued in all areas above the basement.  |
| They had to install safety stops in the elevator shafts to make   |
| sure travel to the basement was no longer possible.  Functions    |
| included administration, business offices and toll equipment.     |
| Local exchange equipment was in the building at the back left of  |
| the photos.                                                       |
|                                                                   |
| All utility cables and pipes serving the building had to be       |
| lengthened and made flexible to provide continuous service during |
| the move.  (Electric, phone, gas, water, sewer and steam.)        |
|                                                                   |
| A moveable concrete and steel bridge connected the vestibule to a |
| covered walkway.  This permitted employees and the public to      |
| enter and leave at any time while the move was in progress.       |
| (Imagine trying to get permits to do that today!)                 |
|                                                                   |
| The straight line move used manually operated jack screws.  Each  |
| was operated by a team of men that turned handles through an arc  |
| of 90 degrees six times in about 30 seconds, and then they rested |
| 30 seconds (!).  Each operation moved the load about 3/8 of an    |
| inch.                                                             |
|                                                                   |
| The pivoting operation was accomplished with the aid of cables    |
| attached to a stationary steam engine.                            |
|                                                                   |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
                                   
                                   
                                   
Move part 1

                             Move part 2


+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                   |
| The following photos show the evolution of the site after the     |
| move.                                                             |
|                                                                   |
| First, a new building was completed at 240 N. Meridian in 1933.   |
| The old building can be seen in the back of the lot.              |
|                                                                   |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

                          New building 1933


  +---------------------------------------------------------------+
  |                                                               |
  | By 1968, the moved building had been demolished and replaced. |
  | The addition made the combined building 20 stories tall.      |
  |                                                               |
  +---------------------------------------------------------------+

                           Expansion 1968


+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                   |
| By 1975, the headquarters had moved to a new "modern" building at |
| 220 N.Meridian,                                                   |
| which was connected with 240 N. Meridian.                         |
|                                                                   |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

                          New building 1975

  Bottom 3 images courtesy of AT&T Archives and History Center, San
                            Antonio, TX.

       -------------------------------------------------------
                                  
     Please send comments or photos of your favorite phones to: 

                            Email address

       -------------------------------------------------------
                          Back to Home Page

                 (c)2006 paulf.  All rights reserved.