Demolition excavators at work. Most of the front building is now gone. Equipment lifted by crane. A pedestrian accident is captured (but only at 1 frame per minute) when a pedestrian ignores the closed crosswalk.

Timelapse at 900x, covers the period from March 17-22, 2014.

This former luxury hotel opened in 1960 and has occupied this city block for 54 years. When it opened it was considered one of the most luxurious hotels in the city, although it was criticized by many who considered its modern architecture to be ugly. (Note that it was painted very differently in those first years.)

It was advertised as San Francisco's "first hotel with air conditioning." During the Cold War, guests were assured the hotel had "a centrally controlled air raid warning system." It had a rooftop skating rink, an outdoor heated pool, wedding chapel and underground parking for 500 cars.

It closed October 30, 2009 and is being demolished to make way for construction of a new hospital.

Music licensed from AudioMicro.com. (I know I'm using the same music in these timelapses. If you get tired of it, I can suggest you turn down the video volume and listen to your own demolition-accompaniment music.)

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