[title_words_as_hashtags
A REAL estate broker with ambitious renovation plans has paid to have his two-story Victorian home transplanted to a space down the road.
The San Francisco investor has put down over $400,000 to move the large structure just six blocks away for further renovations.
4
4
Tim Brown purchased the 139-year-old for $2.6million in 2013, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Now, he hopes to transform the iconic Englander home into seven separate residential units.
Over 15 permits were required to ensure that the move could happen.
Phil Joy, a professional home mover, explained that there were many moving parts to balance as the house was dollied downhill.
A large truck with a “heavy load” sign was used to chug the house, and the road had to be cleared of shrubs and street signs for extra space.
The excursion took about an hour, which was no easy feat for the team of movers who escorted the house to the new spot.
A crowd of roughly 600 people gathered to watch the incredible move on Sunday morning.
“It’s like a Mardi Gras procession,” onlooker Dan Newmark told The Daily Mail.
“I’m obsessed with old houses, and I’d always seen this house walking by. I wondered how long it would stay here. Now I know,” another viewer commented.
“There used to be a lot more Victorians around here,” added another spectator.
Classic Victorian architecture has been a symbol of San Fransisco for centuries.
Many community members were grateful that Brown opted to preserve the historic site rather than demolish it.
“These houses are part of the fabric of San Francisco,” Fiona McDougall, a member of the Victorian Alliance of San Francisco, told the Chronicle.
“It’s important to preserve them rather than replacing them with a bunch of cold boxes,” McDougall added.
Transporting homes was commonplace in San Fransisco back in the early 1900s.
The last time San Franciscans saw such a tremendous home transplant was in 1974 when 12 houses were moved to a nearby plaza in their same neighborhood.
Horses were used to pull the structures down the road, and workers would use planks and ties to rebuild the front of the houses in their new locations.
4
4
