What’s this framed concrete rectangle in my unfinished basement?

Question

In my unfinished basement, there’s this framed out rectangle filled with concrete. There are a couple metal bolts sticking up from it that at some point were bent downward.
I’ve tried lifting on my own to see if it’ll come up at all, but it doesn’t budge. Does anybody know what this could be?
The home was built in 1940 in southeast US.

ojait · Accepted Answer

It is a concrete footing (foundation) for a column or vertical support. It is used to support the buildings horizontal beams. There should be one directly above it.
It differs from the basement slab (floor) in that it is constructed to support heavy loads. It has a thicker/deeper concrete base with re- enforcement bar added to it. The bolts tell you it was meant for a steel column with a plate welded to the base that the bolts went through.
Why it's not being used is hard to say. Possibly the house was re-modeled so it wasn't needed or it was a mix-up in the design plans.

What’s this framed concrete rectangle in my unfinished basement?

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