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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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Building being relocated

This office building at the corner of Trent and Argonne owned by Phoenix Development has been jacked up and is waiting for the proper permits so it can be moved to 7721 E. Trent Ave. Red Horse Construction is the mover. A new Walgreens is slated to be built at that location. (J. BART RAYNIAK photos / The Spokesman-Review)
Paul Delaney Correspondent
This office building at the corner of Trent and Argonne owned by Phoenix Development has been jacked up and is waiting for the proper permits so it can be moved to 7721 E. Trent Ave. Red Horse Construction is the mover. A new Walgreens is slated to be built at that location. (J. BART RAYNIAK photos / The Spokesman-Review)

An iconic office building that has been a fixture at Trent Avenue and Argonne Road for more than 30 years is about to get a new home.

Sooner rather than later, as far as Patty Braithaupt is concerned.

She and her husband, Paul, operate Phoenix Development and own the building, which sits on top of massive steel and wooden beams, waiting for permit approval from a variety of agencies.

When given the OK, Redhorse Construction will be in charge of moving the 300,000-pound building.

Originally one of a number of Tupper Real Estate offices that dotted Spokane Valley, the two-story structure is destined for a new location some 20 blocks west at 7721 E. Trent Ave. There, it will resume life as an office building.

Braithaupt purchased the building at a bargain-basement price of $5,000 from Raymond Gunning. It will cost about $10,000 to get it back into shape as offices, according to Braithaupt.

In its place will be a new Walgreens full-service store.

When the paperwork is approved, plans are to move the massive structure in the wee hours of the morning between Friday and Saturday, when traffic will be less of an issue. If all the permit requirements cannot be satisfied by then, the move would take place the following weekend.

According to Braithaupt, six permits have to be acquired, including building and site permits for the new location, moving permits from both the city of Spokane Valley and the state of Washington, plus a foundation permit. “It’s tough getting five or six different agencies to agree,” Braithaupt said.

Not surprisingly, lifting and moving a 300,000-pound building has been a snap compared with the hoops and hurdles Braithaupt has needed to clear to satisfy the various government agencies.

For Braithaupt, who has been involved in similar projects for 29 years, the first part of the moving process involves inserting steel beams under the main floor. Next comes installation of a series of crib blocks composed of large timbers.

Then the structure is jacked up, more timbers are inserted that run the opposite direction, and large rollers help move the building off its foundation and onto a new set of girders that will accommodate wheels.

The building will be moved a few hundred feet to the east to the site of an old service station and then onto Trent. The booms that hold traffic lights along Trent will have to be removed temporarily. Just one utility wire will be affected.

“The whole move will take about an hour,” said Jerry Isbell of Phoenix Development. The heavy-duty tow truck will travel the 20 blocks at about 3 to 5 mph, Isbell said. “We’ll travel at walking speed.” The specially designed trailer used to transport the building is built of massive girders and a series of equally beefy sets of dual wheels.

Rob’s Demolition has helped prepare the site by knocking down the old service station just east of the building on the move.