MOVING HOUSE
IN THE 1970'S USA
G'day folks,
Well, here is a walk back in time. Back to the 1970's in the USA.
These precarious moving houses were documented by
photographer Dave Glass in late 1970s San
Francisco. What we’re looking at is essentially the result of a thirty year
urban renewal scheme for the Western Addition neighbourhood of SF,
particularly the Fillmore District, which after the Second World War, had
become a cultural centre for the city’s African American community.
It was a
center of jazz with grand Victorian architecture that had survived the 1906
earthquake, but due to overcrowding and a high proportion of low-income
families, the area was considered a slum and targeted for redevelopment. A
“nice new neighbourhood” was promised by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency
and in the mid 1950s and 60s, entire blocks were cleared, destroying up to
2,500 Victorian houses, along with the neighbourhood’s character.
By the 1970s however, San Francisco started to wise
up. Pioneers of historic preservation who had been tirelessly protesting for
years against the destruction of the city’s heritage, finally began to win the
battle. The Redevelopment Agency agreed to find new homeowners for the
Victorians, who would agree to rehabilitate and help conserve the homes. The
tired old Victorians could be purchased for one dollar– relocation and
restoration costs not included!
The victory was bittersweet. For every handful of houses
saved, many others were destroyed (in fact, a lot of the relocated homes simply moved
to lots where other Victorians had previously stood). For every handful
of houses rehabilitated by upper middle class families in gentrified
neighbourhoods, many more low-income families and neighbourhoods sunk further
into poverty.
In November 1974, Dave Glass, along with an imaginably
large crowd of onlookers, witnessed the monumental task of moving twelve
Victorian houses approximately one mile down the road (and around a few
corners). They were moved in groups of four over three weekends, the
majority joining the Beiderman Place Historic Area. Telephone lines were moved,
trolley wires were cut, streetlights removed, thirty police escorts and thirty
tow trucks were called to clear the path, all to make way for the Victorians.
The sight was compared to watching great ships moving through an inland
waterway.
Clancy's comment: No doubt, it would have been a monumental project. Love the old trucks.
I'm ...
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