Penn State's Office of Physical Plant is learning how to move a 100,000-pound gate.

Very carefully.

That is what OPP and general contractor Leonard S. Fiore, Inc. of Altoona did during the past few weeks. Now, the limestone lion gates that once stood at the intersection of North Atherton Street and Pollock Road are at a location one block away: the intersection of Burrowes Road and Pollock Road.

The gate was a gift from the Class of 1903 at the time of the class's 50th reunion. The gift consists of two pillars with Nittany Lion heads looking out from their tops and large benches on the ground around each pillar.

When the gate was installed, it was meant to serve as an entryway to the campus. Now, in the new location, it will be an entryway to the West Campus expansion, starting with the Information Sciences and Technology Building, which is under construction.

The IST building was originally planned to span the block from Burrowes to Atherton streets where Pollock Road ran, cutting off vehicle access. The plans included the construction of a pedestrian bridge over Atherton Street to West Campus. During the planning phase of the building, which began in late 1999, an architect suggested having the entire building span the road instead of just a bridge, said Dick Tennent, OPP project manager for the design phase of the building.

"Once we agreed to go in that direction, the gates became an issue that we had to deal with," Tenant said. "There was very little discussion about whether we were going to keep them or not. It was, 'Where are we going to put them?' "

Since no members of the Class of 1903 are alive to ask about relocation, the university had to decide on behalf of the class what would be best for the gate. A site selection committee reviewed locations on campus where the gate could be a visible entrance and decided on the new placement.

"It would be a great location, still an entryway to campus, and the best way to uphold the wishes of what the class was," said Greg Laur, associate director of annual giving, whose office deals with class gifts.

An engineer estimated that each pillar weighs about 50,000 pounds, said Dennis Smith, OPP project manager for the move. Smith said the engineer used those estimates to design protective steel frames to encase the pillars for the move.

The frames slid over the pillars, and pieces of wood were placed between the stone and the frames to make a tight fit. Workers drilled holes in the base of the pillars and inserted a steel beam through each hole, bolting them to the frame. Then heavy machinery was used to lift the entire pillar and move it across to the new gate site.

The benches, originally thought to be moveable in one piece, had to be disassembled for the move. They were photographed, then taken apart and reconfigured on the other side of the block.

"In reality, when they put them back together it was putting a big jigsaw puzzle back together," Smith said.

The first pillar was relocated by the time some students were leaving for spring break on March 1, and the entire move was completed March 4.