Ian Tomashik

Publication Date

Summer 2025

Abstract

Structural moving, the process of moving complete buildings to new sites, has shaped American landscapes for over two centuries. Thousands of wood-frame houses were moved with surprising frequency between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. Yet, moved buildings are “ordinarily” ineligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This project explores this exclusion two parts: an analytical essay that argues for their inclusion for nomination and a historic context survey that explains the prevalence of house moving. The essay first explains the National Register’s rationale for questioning the historic significance of moved buildings. It also examines why large-scale house moving projects are eligible for National Register listing under Criterion A. The essay concludes with a high-level summary of the attached historic context survey, titled “House Moving and Freeway Building in the Claytown Neighborhood, Detroit, Michigan (1945-1960).” Detroit’s Claytown neighborhood was dramatically reshaped by house moving activities during a freeway construction project in the mid-twentieth century. Claytown provides a unique case study for a potential National Register nomination which recognizes house moving as an important part of its historic significance.

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