On August 2, Chicago's Vautravers Building was moved to make way for the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA)'s Red and Purple Line modernization. Thanks to Preservation Chicago, the building was pushed to be a city landmark since its location makes it a part of the Newport Avenue District. Homes that were built between 1891 and 1928 received landmark status and are protected from being demolished. To preserve the building and improve transportation within the area, the CTA made careful plans for the move.

According to a report by Nina Molina from The Chicago Sun-Times, "The move is necessary because when the Red Line tracks were built in the early 1900s, the owner of the three-story building refused to sell, so the tracks were built around it. Red Line trains traveling between Belmont and Addison now must slow down around the bend that curves around the structure at 947 Newport Ave."

The CTA's Red-Purple Modernization Twitter profile provided footage of the historic move.

The Historic #Vautravers Building has arrived in its new location! In about 24 hours, the 127-year-old building was moved approximately 30 feet west and 10 feet south toward N Clark Street. Check out this time-lapse video of the move below! #CTARPM pic.twitter.com/ULToxlqgXT
— CTA Red-Purple Modernization (@CTARPM) August 3, 2021

Stephen Specht, project manager at Walsh-Flour and part of the building's move, shared with the Chicago Sun-Times: "The entire building gets tuckpointing, masonry repair, and a new roof. All the historic copper bays get fully restored with ... new copper cladding." He estimates complete restoration of the building will be done by Thanksgiving.

As neighborhood locals gathered around past Monday, many expressed their excitement as they witnessed the 127-year-old building move entirely intact. Ward Miller, executive director of Preservation Chicago, explained buildings of this age and status aren't appreciated the way they should be. He told the Sun-Times: "We should be using every tool possible to save these buildings as other cities do." He continued to add that moving buildings "out of the way" for construction projects isn't uncommon in the city. 

Molina reports the CTA bought the building for $1.175 million. Once the move and renovations are made, they plan on selling the apartment building to a developer.