Stanford Mansion relocated for Highbridge’s plaza development
At a pace of a giant turtle, the 200-year-old Stanford Mansion moved from its original location as cars whizzed by on busy adjacent roads.
Wolfe House and Building Movers started moving the over 300-ton building at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov 3, and reached the final destination of Highbridge Development’s plan around seven hours later. The building was moved almost 350 feet and would be turned to face Balltown Road.
All along we said that we would save the mansion, said John Roth, president of Highbridge Development. `We tried to save it at its original position; it just didn’t function properly in the site.`
The Niskayuna Town Planning Board approved the modified site plan on June 10, which allowed for the deviation from the original site plan. The Town Attorney had advised board members that no further State Environmental Quality Review was necessary for the change.
While Highbridge and the town were involved with litigation from the preservationist group Friends of Stanford Home development was stalled, but courts continuously decided in favor of the developer and the move was undertaken.
`Under the new plan we are still making it the center focal piece of the plaza,` said Roth. `We are renovating and rehabbing the faCade on it and eventually the interior. We intend to make it an integral part of the entire plaza, that is why we renamed it Mansion Square.`
Roth said the move was necessary in order for the plaza to flow better and create more open space on the property. The planned use for the mansion is still unclear.
`We are entertaining a number of different offers on the interior space, but we haven’t selected a final concept,` said Roth.
Even after the move, the mansion will be raised to allow for the new basement to be built underneath.
Roth explained the tedious project of moving the mansion while on site in a hard hat observing the work being done.
Once the building was jacked up the original foundation was removed from the building. Then the carrier beams were placed underneath the mansion, followed by the traveler beams, which were attached to dollies, which are then attached to the rams.
All of the rams are hooked up hydraulically to the motors attached on the sides of the building. All the wheels underneath the building are motorized and are controlled by an individual wearing a little yellow pack, which is the remote control.
`It is like a Nintendo,` said Roth about the remote control. `He takes it and drives it with that Nintendo and the rams underneath him automatically adjust to keep the structure level as it travels over the ground.`
Workers then steer the building with a cable system attached to the wheels and adjust the cables to move the building in the desired direction.
To make sure the building was solid, the windows were filled in with bricks to help add support to the walls through the move.
`All of the windows had to be temporarily in-filled, because when they put these corner guards up and the chains around the building that actually keeps the whole structure rigid,` said Roth. `If those windows weren’t in-filled there would be too much give so they would rack, crack and crumble, so it gives the whole building stability so when they hit a bump or whatever it stays solid.`
With the mansion moved, the underground infrastructure can begin to be put in, said Roth. When the site plan was modified the infrastructure also had to be adjusted and could not be built until the move occurred.
As far as the rest of the plaza’s future development goes, there are businesses currently interested to move into the plaza, said Roth.
`We do have a couple of tenants that are currently under lease for the plaza and hopefully within four to six weeks we plan on having a actual groundbreaking ceremony and announcement of the tenants we currently have coming to the site,` said Roth on Nov. 3.“