# Lifting a 7000 ton theater **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 10, 2022, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973 "2022-06-10T13:23:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973/1 "2022-06-10T13:23:02Z")
A ski buddy of mine (Robert Israel, seen in the video) just finished lifting the 7000 ton Palace theater 30’ WITHIN its building to preserve the historic landmark (required) yet redevelop the building. [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnIcCQR551o) My comment to him was that I would’ve be popping valium like Pez. I’ve moved a bunch of residential buildings, and those were challenging enough. I’ve always said that the one sub who cannot have a bad day is the house mover–someone dies if he does. Hats off to the engineers, too! ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973/2 "2022-06-10T13:24:48Z")
[NYT gift article](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/28/business/palace-theater-times-square-lift.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWka3DIDmwSiO4IGImG9lzWIrJqY9I40nGHRNJILLI1AeBzy-JEeld0VgCyr96AmZoZZSUprIb5FkUH46XwZ5Fquzn7cjv-b-5l2Ly0ux_BO2jqD_eIgXA-JAhhpY9idA37xX1ew_zaQORy3tgtiPkgVpwpVi5AMHfRx4TgDBR4MNiEbBDOuEJhC6wCB2alzZPL4KkAcQ5SFVvCUHt9hG4949hdM94TV73te19iIIGtxOVMVRE7aduhFJYzRIPLlrt1sberqRaEy8C-wvpeB7xMQirYqx7cU5BarqgcrPhi&smid=url-share) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973/3 "2022-06-10T14:50:37Z")
Wow! That is absolutely amazing. Thanks for sharing. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973/4 "2022-06-10T16:11:20Z")
Very cool seeing the time lapse video! I’ve been in the basement dressing rooms for the Palace, (two _very_ steep flights of stairs going down!) which I guess must have been part of what was demolished to create the lifting structures. It’s incredible to picture that whole structure above moving in one piece. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2022, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973/5 "2022-06-10T17:59:22Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > …just finished lifting the 7000 ton Palace theater 30’ WITHIN its building to preserve the historic landmark… “Boy are my arms tired!” ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973/6 "2022-06-14T00:36:38Z")
You know what is bigger than a theater? Chicago. > **[Chicago Was Raised Over Four Feet in the 19th Century to Build Its Sewer](https://gizmodo.com/chicago-was-raised-more-than-4-feet-in-the-1800s-to-bui-1646409024)** > > In the middle of the 19th century, Chicago embarked on a quest to literally lift itself out of the mud. Water couldn’t drain from the low-lying city, so its streets became impassable swamps. The most reasonable solution, Chicago decided, was just to... ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973/7 "2022-06-14T00:38:28Z")
Oh, fine, up me by a billion tons. Whatever! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973/8 "2022-06-14T21:29:42Z")
4 feet is for pikers. 500 city blocks of Galveston (2,000 buildings) were raised 8 to 17 feet after the great hurricane of 1900, with buildings elevated using manual screw jacks. The project took eight years. > **[Raising Galveston Above the Gulf](https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/texas-story-project/raising-galveston-above-the-gulf)** ---
**Author:** ![Tride](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tride/32/13907_2.png) [@Tride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tride)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973/9 "2022-06-14T21:46:42Z")
OK, that’s impressive. We humans be crazy. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973/10 "2022-06-15T14:40:05Z")
Seattle did something similar to solve the flooding of their streets, but rather than lifting the buildings, they raised the road levels leaving the bottom floors of buildings below ground. If you are ever in Seattle and want to go on a unique tour, I recommend it. > **[Seattle Underground](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Underground)** > > The Seattle Underground is a network of underground passageways and basements in the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. They were located at ground level when the city was built in the mid-19th century but fell into disuse after the streets were elevated. In recent decades, they have become a tourist attraction, with guided tours taking place around the area. > After the Great Seattle Fire of June 6, 1889, new construction was required to be of masonry, and the to... ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2022, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lifting-a-7000-ton-theater/965973/11 "2022-06-15T14:58:15Z")
Back in the 1920, here in Syracuse they had to move a hotel from it’s currents spot to a spot across the street to make room for the new Hotel Syracuse that was planned. They had to rotate it 180 degrees first and then move it. The building weighed 12 and a half million pounds (6,200 tons). People continued to stay there and businesses inside stayed open while it was done (which took 90 days). Hopefully this link will work: > **[Why did the 12 million lb. hotel cross the road? To make way for the Hotel...](https://www.syracuse.com/living/2022/06/why-did-the-12-million-lb-hotel-cross-the-road-to-make-way-for-the-hotel-syracuse.html)** > > The moving of the four-story, 6,200-ton brick Hotel Truax in the summer of 1922 was one of the most remarkable engineering achievement in Syracuse history.