That Time They Rotated an Entire Office Building (Because Why Not?)
In 1930, engineers rotated the 11,000-ton Indiana Bell Building 90 degrees while it stayed fully operational.
In 1930, the Indiana Bell Building in Indianapolis pulled off an engineering stunt that’s both mildly impressive and a bit weird: the entire seven-story, 11,000-ton building was rotated 90 degrees while people kept working inside. Phones kept ringing, lights stayed on, and workers presumably just shrugged and got on with their day.
Why? The company needed more space but didn’t want to bother with demolition. Instead, they figured, “Why not just spin the thing?” Practical, sure, but also wildly ambitious for the time. Hydraulic jacks lifted it, rails guided it, and over the course of a month, the building shuffled sideways like the world’s most patient conga line.
The whole thing is a love letter to human ingenuity—or at least our unwillingness to tear stuff down when it’s inconvenient. It proved that sometimes, instead of starting fresh, you can just scooch things over and call it a day.
