A Solution to Deadly Conditions
In the 1850s and 1860s, Chicago faced a crisis of poor drainage and deadly epidemics. Engineer Ellis S. Chesbrough proposed raising the city’s grade by several feet to install a sewer system. Streets, sidewalks, and buildings were elevated using jackscrews.
Lifting Buildings in Action
In 1858, the first brick building, weighing 750 tons, was raised 6 feet without damage. By 1860, entire city blocks, like Lake Street’s masonry row, were lifted while businesses continued operating. Thousands watched as 600 men used 6,000 jackscrews to elevate 35,000 tons in just five days.
Hotels and Heavyweights
The Tremont House hotel, a six-story brick structure, was raised 6 feet in 1861. Guests, unaware of the process, noticed the steps growing steeper each day. In 1865, the massive Robbins Building, weighing 27,000 tons, was lifted along with its stone sidewalks without a single crack.
Relocating Entire Homes
Instead of raising wooden structures, owners moved them intact to Chicago’s outskirts. Buildings, still occupied by diners and workers, were rolled through streets, with up to nine seen relocating in a single day. This unique feat of engineering reshaped the growing city.
In the 1850s and 1860s, Chicago faced a crisis of poor drainage and deadly epidemics. Engineer Ellis S. Chesbrough proposed raising the city’s grade by several feet to install a sewer system. Streets, sidewalks, and buildings were elevated using jackscrews.
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