Every so often, someone breaks a world record in building and structure moving. Whether it’s farthest, heaviest, or largest, these buildings and moves are seriously impressive.
1. Farthest Building Relocation
The farthest building relocation was achieved by Warkentin Building Movers, Inc. in Canada in August 2006. The total distance of the relocation was 1,205 miles. It took a lot of patience to move this house such a distance, but it was executed perfectly using beams and dollies. It took over 40 hours to get this house to its new location.
2. Heaviest Building in the World
The record for the heaviest building is held by The Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania. The Palace was built in 1984 using 1.5 billion pounds of steel and bronze, 35.3 million cubic feet of marble, 7.7 million pounds of crystal glass, and 31.7 million cubic feet of wood. Try as you might, this is one building that can’t be moved.
3. Largest Building Relocation
The largest building ever moved is the Fairmount Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. In 1906, the building was a brand new boutique hotel. However, it was soon abandoned after a multimillion-dollar development project on the other side of town. Many recognized the building’s potential in a better location. On March 30, 1985, the building made its six-day, half-mile journey to a new spot. They had to fortify a bridge because no one was certain if the 1,600-ton hotel would crush through and land in the river or not. The local bishop even blessed the building just before the move began. It’s now been at the new site for over 25 years.
Structure moving isn’t easy. It takes a lot of planning and preparation before the heavy lifting even begins. However, with experienced movers who use the right equipment, building relocation doesn’t have to be so daunting.
Hevi-Haul makes the best structure moving equipment in the industry. Check out our beam roller or house mover skates, or contact us with any questions today.
