8,000 Ton Building Moved Four Blocks
The video narrates the unusual history of San Francisco’s Noon J. Tharp Commercial School, a three‑story steel‑and‑concrete building erected in 1909 on Grove Street. Shortly after, the city paid a contractor over $100,000 to relocate the 8,000‑ton structure four blocks to 170 Fell Street, a move that took months and proceeded at a maximum of 25 feet per day, often blocking streets. The school operated until the mid‑1950s, after which the building became office space for the Board of Education. In 1981 it earned historic landmark status, but the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake caused severe damage, leading to condemnation and a demolition plan. The San Francisco Landmark Preservation Society intervened, saving the structure, though its future use remains undecided. The narrator invites viewers to follow for more Bay Area history.
