These amazing photos show what it takes to move entire Victorian houses in San Francisco
The Fillmore project was a landmark moment in architectural preservation
As urban redevelopment projects go, San Francisco’s Fillmore district was among the most ambitious and least effective. Between 1956 and 1977, a large swath of the area was condemned and demolished, ostensibly as a precaution against “blight.” In reality, 60 square blocks in the historically African American neighborhood were razed in a thinly veiled land grab of the valuable real estate located just west of city hall. All told, 4,729 families were ousted from the Western Addition along with hundreds of local businesses. And 2,500 Victorian homes—stately survivors of the 1906 earthquake—were demolished to make way for planned high-rise housing developments. Instead, much of the area sat empty for more than two decades.
But last-ditch preservation attempts in the 1970s succeeded in designating a handful of the Victorians for saving. Twelve of the structures were sold for a minimum bid of $500, with the new owners responsible for moving costs and restoration. Photographer Dave Glass, who grew up in a Victorian flat in the Western Addition, was there to document the herculean task, which took place in various phases between 1976 and 1977.
Reports from the time describe the massive operation in militaristic terms, with dozens of trucks and scores of workers on hand removing streetlights and diverting electrical lines and trolley wires from the behemoths’ path. The Victorians were destined for new sites only a short distance away, often, controversially, on plots where similar houses had already been demolished amid the redevelopment scheme’s early fervor. But the move was a big win for preservationist groups like San Francisco Architectural Heritage, and set the groundwork for later efforts in maintaining the city’s unique built environment.
