In June, Harlem residents in New York City were treated to a strange sight: the home of founding father Alexander Hamilton, elevated high above its foundations. The National Park Service had hired Pennsylvania-based Wolfe House Movers to relocate the national landmark to a city park one block away, where it will be restored to its original blueprint. Hydraulic jacks lifted the two-story, 285-ton house in 1-ft. increments so workers could insert crosshatched crib beds that eventually reached a height of 40 ft.–just enough to clear neighboring buildings. Resting on a dolly with steel wheels, the house was then rolled along steel girders atop the crib piles to piles in the street. There, Hamilton’s former home was lowered onto remote-control dollies that eased it to its new location.How They Did ItMedia Platforms Design Team(Illustration by Gabriel Silveira)1. Jacked Up: The house is raised by jacks to rest on nine stacks of 6 x 6-in. planks, or “cribs.” The jacks are located at the top of the stacks, called crib piles.2. Sliding Over: Hydraulic rods gently nudge the house along rollers on metal girders to rest on crib piles stacked in the street. 3. Going Down: Jacks lift the weight of the house to allow piles to be removed, lowering the house. 4. Moving Out: The home is placed on several remote-control dollies, each with its own propulsion and braking system, for transport.RELATED STORIES• BEST OF GREEN DESIGN: Hydraulic Cement Offers Better Building Panels• DIGITAL HOLLYWOOD: Can Physics Move an Entire Island?Joe PappalardoJoe Pappalardo is a contributing writer at Popular Mechanics and author of the new book, Spaceport Earth: The Reinvention of Spaceflight.
