Project Description
Preserving one of Tualatin’s historic landmarks
The historic “Old Brick Store” was in the path of the Boones Ferry Road widening project in Tualatin, Oregon. The building was owned by the City of Tualatin and after consultants advised it could not be moved, it was scheduled for demolition. The Tualatin Historical Society advocated for its preservation and as a result, a private developer stepped in and bought the building with the expectation that it would be moved, preserved and used for commercial purposes. The developer had already been in contact with Northwest Structural Moving (NWSM) regarding the feasibility of moving the fragile structure and NWSM assured him the building could be safely moved.
The 5,000 square foot structure was built in 1912 and the triple brick unreinforced masonry walls were in very poor condition. In addition, the building’s concrete floor, which was poured after the store was built, had to be torn out because it was not attached to the walls. NWSM placed approximately 100,000 pounds of steel support beams under the 715,000 pound structure and built a wooden support system inside the building to hold the walls and windows in place. The building was then carefully and successfully moved 70 feet east and 11 feet south to provide the space needed for the road widening project. Today the building sits at the corner of SW Boones Ferry Road and SW Tualatin Road and remains one of Tualatin’s historic landmarks.
Tualatin Historical Society member Larry McClure said he held his breath as crews worked to move ‘the very brittle building’. But they did it, and we’re glad, he said.
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