When a landmark stands in the way of transit modernization, the landmark moves
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is known for moving large amounts of people, but it can now add “mover of buildings” to its list of credentials.
The building CTA moved is no standard structure; it’s a 127-year-old Vautravers residential building in Chicago’s Lakeview East neighborhood and is a National Historic Landmark.
The building’s move 30 feet to the west is required so CTA can remove a curve in the tracks that slows train traffic. The structures north of Belmont station will be completely reconstructed and straightened as part of the CTA Red and Purple Modernization Project that provide riders with a faster commute on modern infrastructure.
However, in a historic coincidence, the curve in the track exists because of the building, or, more specifically, because of the building’s original owner.
The Vautravers building was constructed by the family of the same name between 1891 and 1894 and is part of a series of homes that made up the historic Newport Avenue District. The building stood in the way of the Red Line’s construction in the early 1900s and when the Vautravers family refused to sell, the rail line was built around the building.
CTA, along with contractors Walsh-Fluor and Wolfe Building and House Movers, will move the house over a one- to two-day timeframe and once the building is in its new location, it will be temporarily secured with a new concrete foundation poured and temporary shoring in the basement installed.
CTA explains the analyses of the feasibility of moving the Vautravers building was completed in close coordination with the Federal Transit Administration, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Historic Preservation Division of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
