In an unconventional manner, 700 bars of soap used to save a former hotel in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, facing demolition.
The Elmwood building, a Victorian gem, now stands preserved, its relocation showcasing unconventional solutions in the face of architectural challenges.
The building, built in 1826 and later transformed into the Victorian Elmwood Hotel, was facing the wrecking issue in 2018. However, a real estate company, Galaxy Properties, pounced in and acquired the historic building with strategies to transfer it to a new place and fix it to a planned apartment building.
What a challenge? The Elmwood is a massive 220-ton building. But the crew from S Rushton Construction was up for the mission. They shared a time-lapse video of the transfer on Facebook, showcasing the imagination involved.
Instead of using traditional rollers, the team decided to use unique solution bars made of ivory soap. The soft bars of soap permitted the building to glide effortlessly, dragged by two excavators and a tow truck.
The owner of the construction company, Sheldon Rushton, reported that the Elmwood was smoothly pulled 30 feet, attributing the effortlessness to the smoothness of ivory soap. Plans comprise added relocation once the new foundation is complete, emphasizing the meticulous efforts to preserve and relocate the historic structure for the future.
