In the Great Storm of 1900 St. Patrick's Catholic Church was heavily damaged. The tower collapsed and the interior was ruined. After the repairs were made they raised the entire building five feet. One hundred men used seven hundred jack screws for thirty five days. They raised the building one half inch at a time. Once the correct height was obtained they poured a new concrete foundation to support the structure. This was part of a huge project to raise the city to protect it from future hurricanes. Some buildings were raised seventeen feet.
NPR's Science Friday recently talked about actions like this to protect some coastal areas from future damaging storms and surges. You can listen to the broadcast of that particular show once you access Science Friday's site.
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