See a 100-year Old Theatre lifted 30 ft in air in New York City

Preserving historic structures during major construction requires extreme precision and control. A synchronized multi‑point hydraulic lifting solution was used to raise the Palace Theater building—located within another structure—while maintaining exceptionally tight tolerances and protecting valuable historic finishes.

A customer needed to lift the historic Palace Theater building—weighing approximately 7,400 tons—30 feet upward inside another building to allow for floor expansion. The lift required less than 4 mm tolerance from point to point, with no acceptable pitch, roll, or yaw, and no vibration or damage to the theater’s historic architectural features.

The size, weight, and historic nature of the structure made conventional lifting methods unsuitable. Any uneven movement, vibration, or loss of synchronization could result in irreparable damage to the building’s decorative elements and structural components.

A 48‑point Motion Control System (MCS) was deployed, consisting of two synchronized 24‑point powered skids tethered to a centralized control screen module. Each powered skid was driven by a Power Team PE4004 hydraulic pump. Four Power Team R1506D cylinders were installed at each of the 34 lifting points, totaling 136 cylinders, enabling precise, synchronized lifting with continuous monitoring and adjustment.

The synchronized hydraulic lifting system successfully raised the Palace Theater the required 30 feet while maintaining alignment within the specified tolerance. The lift was completed without inducing vibration, pitch, roll, or yaw, and without damage to the historic interior and exterior architectural details.

Using a synchronized 48‑point hydraulic motion control system allowed the structure to be lifted while maintaining less than 4 mm variance across all lift points. Multi‑point synchronization eliminated differential movement that could cause distortion, enabling continuous lift progression without stop‑and‑correct cycles. The controlled lift significantly reduced risk to historic finishes and structural elements, supporting a safe, repeatable lifting process for one of the most sensitive building relocation projects undertaken.

• Historic building lifting and preservation
• Large‑scale structural elevation projects
• Building relocation and structural modification
• Precision multi‑point hydraulic lifting