The Mount Vernon Square neighborhood is going to get pretty cramped on April 15 thanks to Washington, D.C.'s biggest home move ever. An 880-ton historic building located at 639 New York Avenue NW will be relocated 34 feet east to a new concrete slab. The move is part of Douglas Development's plans to build a $122.5 million mixed-use development with 420,000-square-feet of office and retail space and a 200,000-square-foot garage. The 11,000-square-foot building has already been jacked up by about 18 inches for installation of steal beams and wood cribbing, and the move will take approximately two to three days to finish. The building was built in 1891 as a carriage warehouse and was later the home of the D.C. Eagle Bar, a gay bar that closed down in January of 2014.
Douglas Development plans to move another building as well this summer. The second move involves a historic warehouse located at 632 L Street NW that weighs a total of 1,100 tons. The mixed-use development is expected to complete in 2018.
· D.C.'s biggest move ever: 880 tons and 34 feet (Video) [Washington Business Journal]
· How to Move an 880-Ton Building [Urban Turf]