How Firm a Foundation, Not So Much...

There is no question that the original foundation is being demolished.

Mr. Track Hoe is working fast and furiously to clear the dirt away.  I thought he was holding the pose for my camera, but no.

These trucks work fast.  In seconds the dump truck backed into place to receive a load.

The east side has been cleared to a depth of about 10 feet below University Avenue.

What I thought were utility conduits in earlier posts have been turned into piers for the I-beams.

This workman is inside the building, but he's easily seen because the foundation is disappearing.

A drill rig is still working inside the building.

Braces inside the interior are easy to see.

These beams are bracing the southern interior.

Even the western roof point has a brace.

There is a lot to see in this picture, from newly excavated ground, to the I-beam supports, to machinery inside the tabernacle that I can't identify, amid braces on the walls.
I'm going to come right out and say, without hesitation, that something is going on.

At first I thought these were both drill rigs, but the one on the left is something else.
I know -- I'm not a lot of help.

I've noticed this orange streak inside the building when I take pictures from the north.  Today I zoomed in. It's a brace painted brightly to keep someone from walking into it.

I watched the rig go up and down, but no water came out. 

This is the foundation on the south side.  Look carefully on the far left where the foundation completely disappears.  There you can see into the building, just past the new wooden stairs, which lead nowhere.

Notice how deep in the trench this welder is standing.

Snowing Inside the Tabernacle

Work continued today at the new temple site, even though it was snowing and 28 degrees.

Today I noticed metal braces along the interior walls.  They've been there for awhile, but I didn't see them until today.

They are going to have to be self-explanatory, because I can only guess.

This brace goes right in front of the east entrance, so I don't think it is permanent.

The lot north of the tabernacle has been cleared and leveled below the height of University Avenue.

The track hoe is still working fast and furiously to clear away the dirt dug from around the foundation.

This is a view from the northeast.

While a drill rig was visible at the southeast tower, it was quiet.

As was this drill rig inside the structure.

Foundation Work Continues

The normal noisy construction site was very quiet today, but a lot of work has gone on this week.

The piles of mud north of the tabernacle are being removed.

This solitary track hoe worked alone today...

Except for help from this tandem-truck driver hauling dirt away.

Holes in the north foundation are easily visible.

Not all have I-beams through them, yet.

In some instances I could see through the foundation holes into the building.

I can only speculate what will happen when the foundation supports are completed.

I am certain that the pioneers laying this original foundation had no idea anyone would ever cut through their work.

This is the interior through the east entrance.

East face straight on.

It's easy to see that both ends of the I-beams rest on piers.  While that's a no-brainer, I haven't seen the drill working inside the building.

In case someone is as interested as I am, this is a closeup of the I-beams.

The drill rig sat quietly this afternoon at the southwest tower.

This is a Friday view of the hole I was preoccupied with on Monday.

These are foundation beams in the bright sun of the southern face.

Foundation Walls Exposed

The original foundation walls of the old tabernacle have been exposed.

The north lot, which in the past has been bustling with activity, has been cleared.  The piles of mud were dug from around the foundation.

The lowest part of the foundation is comprised of boulders.  The next layer of the foundation was built of brick, but covered with plaster and styled to look like granite blocks.

The brick on boulders can clearly be seen here.  New are vertical utility conduits.

There are groups of these conduits surrounding the foundation.

Also new are I-beams on piers.  I had to take a lot of pictures to figure this out.
I'm still not sure what I'm seeing.  I definitely have more questions than answers, so I'll keep a close eye on what's going on.

In this view from the southeast, the drill digging holes for the piers can easily be seen on the left.

The drill digs down to bedrock before the cement pier is poured.  The circular pipes in the lower right -- casings -- are used to extend the depth of the holes.

Water is used in the drilling process.  This goes pretty fast.
The hole for the pier is strategically placed.
Notice the hole through the foundation at the lower right, just to the left of the workman.

The workmen are cutting through the foundation to place the I-beams, which rest on piers.

These piers and I-beams through the original foundation are on the east side of the building.

Once I realized what I was seeing, I walked around so my camera could get a better look.  I actually can't see this from the street.  However, standing on my tippy-toes and reaching up as high as I can with my camera, I can "peek" over the construction fence.

This is a view of the east entrance from the southeast.  The original stairs have been removed.  Conduit to the right and left of the beams are easily visible.

The angle isn't right for my camera to see through the hole for the I-beams into the building.

This is the south face.  The arrow points to another hole in the foundation.

Here is a close-up of that hole.  I suspect that soon a hole for a pier will be drilled and an I-beam will be placed through this hole.

Work is going on inside, too.

Although it was bright and sunny this morning, the temperature was only 40 degrees.

Notice this workman had on a sweatshirt to stay warm.

The white line visible through the left window is from the crane, actively working again today. 

This contraption was in place two weeks ago.
It looks like it could be a device for separating rocks and sand.
I actually have no idea, and my engineer friends were guessing.

If you know people who like action, this is the place to be.
A veritable construction-vehicle party is constantly ongoing!

From this view at the southeast corner, there is a safe place where it's easy to watch through the fence.