Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

Polhemus on the Move

5. November 2006 • Dale Winling
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The long-awaited move of the Polhemus House from East Washington St. is underway. Scheduled to take 6 hours according to workers on-site, operations commenced at 7 am. However, as of 9:30am, the house was stalled on Huron, approaching the intersection with Fifth Ave.

The house, supported by a grid of steel I-beams, seems to be transported by a self-powered lift with individually turning sets of wheels. The house turned too wide from Division onto Huron and brushed up against trees on the north side of Huron. City workers in cherry pickers were dispatched to cut off branches so that the house could pass by. Additional workers continue to prepare the rest of the house’s path to Pontiac Trail.

EDIT: Ann Arbor News article on the move.

UPDATE: The house went over the Broadway Bridge just before 1pm.



  1. Flickr set here.


       —Dale    Nov. 5 '06 - 07:53PM    #
  2. Thanks for getting up early, Dale!


       —HD    Nov. 5 '06 - 08:14PM    #
  3. I’ve been touting housemoving for a while, so in that vein, let me note that the contractor is from Muskegon, where the city is light years ahead of Ann Arbor in promoting the moving of structures.


       —Dale    Nov. 5 '06 - 08:31PM    #
  4. That is very cool. Thanks for the photos!


       —Mary Kathleen    Nov. 6 '06 - 02:11AM    #
  5. Thanks Dale, this is great. I love the pictures where the house is in such an odd place, like on the bridge above the Gandy Dancer. Even in its somewhat disheveled state, it is quite an elegant house and has a certain presence as it rolls down the street.


       —Juliew    Nov. 6 '06 - 03:04AM    #
  6. Those are great photos, thanks Dale.

    I did hear from one frustrated resident who coulndn’t get out of her neighborhood today because…well…they were moving a house through it.

    I talked to her at the Vote No on 2 Phonebank. Hmm, perhaps the move was scheduled today as part of a diabolical plot to disrupt last-minute get out the vote efforts in Ann Arbor.

    Or maybe not.


       —Chuck    Nov. 6 '06 - 03:15AM    #
  7. Chuck, please – voting is on Tuesday!


       —just me    Nov. 6 '06 - 05:58AM    #
  8. Vote early and vote often! 8-)


       —David Cahill    Nov. 6 '06 - 06:03PM    #
  9. Yes, voting is Tuesday, but my friend was delayed on the way to pre-election Get Out the Vote efforts.


       —Chuck Warpehoski    Nov. 6 '06 - 09:45PM    #
  10. The house was moved to a lot that is only a block away from my house. We went out and watched our new neighbor come rolling in, and I have posted some of my own pictures of the latter stages of the process.


       —archipunk    Nov. 6 '06 - 11:23PM    #
  11. more pictures to throw on the housemoving fire…


       —brix    Nov. 7 '06 - 08:24AM    #
  12. Thanks for all the pictures – they are great!


       —Leah    Nov. 7 '06 - 06:30PM    #