The Levi Gale House cut into two parts, image from the NHS photo collection.
On 8 December 1925, space had to be cleared for the new Newport County Court House at the top of Washington Square and the Levi Gale House was somewhat in the way. It was cut into two parts and dragged up Touro Street to its new location on the corner of Division Street and glued back together. The Strand Theater offered free movie tickets (Gloria Swanson in “Stage Struck”) to the person who could guess how many days, hours and minutes it would take to move the building. The house was designed by Russell Warren in 1835 for New Orleans merchant Levi H. Gale and now is the office of Touro Synagogue.
The Levi Gale House on Touro Street, image from the NHS photo collection.