Harriet F. Rees House

To preserve Chicago’s history while making room for its advancement, the historic Harriet F. Rees House was relocated one city block to 2017 S. Prairie Avenue, where it will continue to serve as a landmark of the Prairie Avenue District. Built in 1888, the Romanesque Revival style residence designed by Cobb & Frost is a Chicago landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A monumental feat, the three-story, 1,045-ton house (with rolling dollies and exoskeleton of steel to stabilize the house) was one of the heaviest residential buildings ever moved in the United States. A highly coordinated effort requiring months of pre-planning, Bulley & Andrews oversaw the house’s successful three-day relocation along with its adjacent coach house.

The move makes way for the new McCormick Place hotel and event center development planned for the site.

Below is a video time-lapse capturing the historic two-day move: