Former Court Club Gets Lifted and Moved Across Prospect Street
Steel beams and hydraulic jacks were used to lift the structure
On an unusually warm and sunny mid-February afternoon, dozens of people watched as the 96-year-old building at 91 Prospect Ave. that formerly housed Court Club and part of Stevenson Hall began its move across the street.
The building, which in recent years has been home to the Office of the Dean for Research, is moving to accommodate part of the new Environmental Studies and School of Engineering and Applied Science (ES and SEAS) complex.
According to a University release, steel beams and hydraulic jacks were used to lift the structure. Then about 30 heavy-duty dollies were placed underneath.
Onlookers stopped to watch and take photos from behind a construction gate and from the stairwells and roof of the nearby North Garage on Feb. 15, when the building — with several boarded-up windows and wooden planks supporting the chimneys — was rotated 180 degrees and moved out into the street. Latecomers chided themselves for missing out on some of the action as construction workers walked the site, checking their measurements.
Once the old Court Club is set on its new foundation, it will undergo renovations and again be used by the dean for research. University spokesman Michael Hotchkiss told PAW that the move began Feb. 9 and was expected to be completed by Feb. 18.
At the neighboring construction site directly to the south, excavators were already hard at work on the ES and SEAS complex, which is estimated to be completed in 2025.
Relocating the former eating club was a contentious part of the ES and SEAS project. The move was approved by the municipal planning board in October 2021 after the University agreed to preserve three other buildings it owns on the north side of Prospect Avenue.
