Rocks stabilize museum move in Cedar Rapids

The gravel replaced muck to allow the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library to continue on its move toward a new foundation.

On Saturday, Jeremy Patterson Structural Moving & Shoring of Washington, Iowa, pivoted the nearly 17,000-square-foot museum, so the side facing the Cedar River can become the front entrance.

Wheels were adjusted on Sunday to continue the move, but as has been the case since the relocation began on June 8, more rain pelted the site, leaving the road a mess, said museum spokeswoman Diana Baculis.

Baculis said the rocks were brought in to stabilize the road built for the move.

Workers hoped to move the building another 100 feet to position it in front of its new foundation on top of a parking garage, she said.

A truck and a track hoe were attached to steel beams to provide extra power to hydraulic dollies under the building, and the museum began moving again about 4 p.m. Monday, five feet or so at a time.

Workers moved steel plates on the ground from the rear of the museum to the front to further stabilize the move.

Baculis said once the building is in place, it will be raised another 12 feet with 40 towers of cribbing – wood timbers – before it slides on top of the parking garage.

“That will take some time to put together,” she said. “It will be a slow process.”