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A big project downtown is heading toward its climax. The question is, when workers finish moving the historic Oddfellows Hall, will they wind up with a building or just a pile of bricks?
They've been at it for months, carving up the underbelly of a big, old building, putting it on five giant beams that will carry an enormous load.
Alan Rindlisbacher, with Layton Construction, said, "About 5 million pounds, that's the total weight of this building."
It's the Oddfellows Hall, built in 1891. It may be the biggest brick building anyone's ever tried to move. The movers are getting it ready for a short, nerve-wracking trip across the street. "By modern standards, it wasn't great at all. It's un-reinforced. It would not live up to today's seismic codes. But it's an old historic building we're doing our best to save," Rindlisbacher said.
The old windows have been bricked up for strength, and the entire building will be enclosed in a steel cage.
Bystander Christopher Van Wagoner said, "You know what, looking at what it is, hah, hah, it's a pretty rickety brick building. But let's hope that they built them better back in the day."
The building will take a slow waltz to get out of the way of a new federal court building. "It will be a three week process of starting, stopping, fine-tuning, shimming, stabilizing, recalculating. It will take that three week period of time to accomplish that task," Rindlisbacher said.
The old building will wind up just a few steps away in a big hole in the ground, and the federal government will put it up for sale or lease.
Those who work underneath say it's holding together pretty well. Matthew Daniel, with Walsh Concrete, said, "I haven't seen anything really that makes me nervous. I wouldn't live in it, certainly, ha, ha, ha."
The folks running the show admit to some knots in the stomach, but they're optimistic. "We have confidence the engineers have done their homework. We'll be O.K.," Rindlisbacher said.
The dramatic but very short journey begins later this month. The cost of the project is $6 million. The federal government is paying for it. The Oddfellows Hall is on the National Register of Historic Places.
E-mail: hollenhorst@ksl.com
