Image
Teardown, Original Transbay Terminal

Bus Overpass
(1 of 39) (18135 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20100821_143410_BCX_7697.jpg

Two years earlier, the old bus overpass into the Transbay Terminal had been augmented by this new overpass. Now, both the old and new were being torn down together. This was a high priority because they passed through the Temporary Transbay Terminal and prevented its completion.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 14:34:10 Saturday 21 August 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_7697
Add a comment or report a mistake

Old Overpass On The Ground
(2 of 39) (13453 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20100821_143437_BCX_7700.jpg

Across Howard Street from the Temporary Transbay Terminal the old overpass had been torn down and part of it lay on top of leftover rubble.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 14:34:37 Saturday 21 August 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_7700
Add a comment or report a mistake

Temporary Transbay Terminal Behind
(3 of 39) (13397 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20100821_143516_BCX_7701.jpg

The Temporary Transbay Terminal could be seen behind the demolition of the old bus-overpass. The top of the elevated roadway was removed first, then the legs were demolished.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 14:35:16 Saturday 21 August 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_7701
Add a comment or report a mistake

Old Overpass Over Beale
(4 of 39) (13392 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20100915_144316_BCX_7714.jpg

A wide overpass used to cross over Beale Street. Here, the original roadway had been removed. Next the horizontal trusses would be removed, and lastly the concrete uprights.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 14:34:16 Wednesday 15 September 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_7714
Add a comment or report a mistake

Massive Pile Of Rebar
(5 of 39) (13418 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20100915_144436_BCX_7717.jpg

Rebar and other steel recyclables were piled at the base of the old overpass uprights.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 14:44:36 Wednesday 15 September 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_7717
Add a comment or report a mistake

Steel Spider Web
(6 of 39) (13408 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20100915_144454_BCX_7719.jpg

Bits of concrete still clung to the rebar exposed after the roadway was demolished. Like bits of leaves or insects caught in a spider's web.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 14:44:54 Wednesday 15 September 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_7719
Add a comment or report a mistake

Demolition Machine
(7 of 39) (13445 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20100915_144505_BCX_7720.jpg

A large and powerful yellow machine gathered bundles of reclaimed rebar and moved them to a common pile for later collection.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 14:45:05 Wednesday 15 September 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCX_7720
Add a comment or report a mistake

Overpass Gone
(8 of 39) (13398 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_132602_BCY_2756.jpg

The old Fremont Street offramp in the distant next block used to rise again to an overpass here. That overpass had been removed and became a pile of rubble at the left of this image.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:26:02 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2756
Add a comment or report a mistake

Temporary Transbay Terminal Completed
(9 of 39) (13415 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_132723_BCY_2757.jpg

The overpasses had been removed from this corner of the Temporary Transbay Terminal with allowed it to compete construction.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:27:23 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2757
Add a comment or report a mistake

Overpass Became Rubble
(10 of 39) (13406 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_132858_BCY_2762.jpg

The old overpass that led into the Transbay Terminal had been reduced to a pile of rubble.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:28:58 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2762
Add a comment or report a mistake

View Across Beale
(11 of 39) (13390 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_133100_BCY_2766.jpg

The view looking across Beale Street at where the old overpass continued into the old Transbay Terminal. In the distance one could still see the waiting area were buses were once boarded.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:31:00 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2766
Add a comment or report a mistake

Rubble Among High-rises
(12 of 39) (13385 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_133113_BCY_2767.jpg

Symbolic of the old giving way for the new. A former overpass riser beaten into submission. The last century about to be forced to bow before the next century.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:31:13 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2767
Add a comment or report a mistake

Beale Street Bar And Grill Moved
(13 of 39) (13478 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_133201_BCY_2770.jpg

The Beale Street Bar And Grill external link had to shut down because it was in the way of new construction. Here was the view through it after demolition. It was torn down in 2010 and will reopen in a new nearby location in 2011.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Beale Street at Howard Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:32:01 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2770
Add a comment or report a mistake

Old Transbay Terminal
(14 of 39) (13366 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_133628_BCY_2777.jpg

The overpass leading into the old Transbay Terminal was already stripped of its roadway. Notice how traffic on Fremont Street had to pass under bare steel supports.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Fremont Street at Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:36:28 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2777
Add a comment or report a mistake

Preparation For Demolition
(15 of 39) (13420 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_133655_BCY_2778.jpg

The front of the closed Transbay Terminal was littered with machinery preparing for its demolition. This used to be where one could catch an out-bound 38 Geary bus.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Fremont Street at Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:36:55 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2778
Add a comment or report a mistake

Bare Girders Over Fremont Street
(16 of 39) (13368 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_133716_BCY_2779.jpg

With the roadway surface gone, under the overpass resembled a scene from a 1930's movie.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Fremont Street at Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:37:16 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2779
Add a comment or report a mistake

Demolished Wiring
(17 of 39) (13429 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_133823_BCY_2784.jpg

Under the overpass with its roadway removed were the remains of wiring demolished.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Fremont Street at Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:38:23 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2784
Add a comment or report a mistake

Bus Boarding Gone
(18 of 39) (13438 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_133854_BCY_2788.jpg

The former third floor bus boarding level was showing signs of demolition.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Fremont Street at Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:38:54 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2788
Add a comment or report a mistake

Former Inside Waiting Room
(19 of 39) (13360 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101029_134521_BCY_2803.jpg

The former first floor waiting area internal link where the homeless could sleep and where passengers could wait comfortably on wooden benches for the next bus to depart.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Fremont Street at Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:45:21 Friday 29 October 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2803
Add a comment or report a mistake

Broken Window
(20 of 39) (13424 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101101_103724_BCY_2809.jpg

One of the first floor windows on Fremont Street used to have a photograph of San Francisco as seen from the bay bridge. That photograph was broken and would eventually vanish.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Fremont Street at Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 10:37:24 Monday 1 November 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2809
Add a comment or report a mistake

Overpass Gone
(21 of 39) (14366 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101101_103915_BCY_2813.jpg

The overpass that used to cross over Fremont Street internal link was gone. Just a row of steel stubs remained on each side of the street.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Fremont Street looking toward Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 10:39:15 Monday 1 November 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2813
Add a comment or report a mistake

First Street Overpass
(22 of 39) (13419 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101113_161247_BCY_2873.jpg

A mass of machinery worked all day Saturday and Sunday to demolish the overpass that crossed First Street.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  First Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 16:12:42 Saturday 13 November 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2873
Add a comment or report a mistake

Sidewalk Was Closed
(23 of 39) (13446 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101113_161317_BCY_2877.jpg

The sidewalk on First Street was closed that afternoon so that the overpass could be demolished. Notice the rubble that had fallen to the roadway.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  First Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 16:13:17 Saturday 13 November 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2877
Add a comment or report a mistake

Overpass Was Gone
(24 of 39) (13408 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101205_130724_BCY_2964.jpg

First Street with the overpass gone. Just steel stubs remained. Notice the photographs on the windows of the first floor. Those photographs would soon be destroyed.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  First Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:07:24 Sunday 5 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2964
Add a comment or report a mistake

Tagged Abandoned Property
(25 of 39) (13394 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101205_130910_BCY_2969.jpg

Whenever a property is abandoned, it becomes an object of desire for taggers (graffiti artists and graffiti trash). Here, one of the first floor doors on Natoma Street had been covered with words.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Natoma Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:09:10 Sunday 5 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2969
Add a comment or report a mistake

First Street In The Rain
(26 of 39) (13387 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101205_131021_BCY_2971.jpg

The sidewalk along side the Transbay Terminal after the roadway overhead had been demolished. The building to the left was screened off for demolition and the bare steel appeared unusually heavy overhead.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  First Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:10:21 Sunday 5 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2971
Add a comment or report a mistake

Stairs Up To Greyhound
(27 of 39) (13400 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101205_131030_BCY_2972.jpg

The inside of the second level with the stairs that used to lead up to the Greyhound Station.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  First Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:10:30 Sunday 5 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2972
Add a comment or report a mistake

Interior Demolition
(28 of 39) (13361 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101205_131112_BCY_2974.jpg

The old Transbay Terminal as seen from its front. Here its interior was being demolished before its exterior.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:11:12 Sunday 5 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2974
Add a comment or report a mistake

Former Street Level Entry
(29 of 39) (13346 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101205_131252_BCY_2978.jpg

The front ground-level entry internal link used to be a series of doors that led under the second floor bus level. Here, that series of doors had become rubble.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:12:52 Sunday 5 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2978
Add a comment or report a mistake

Old Trees Destroyed
(30 of 39) (13347 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101205_131315_BCY_2979.jpg

Several mature trees used to grow in front of the Original Transbay Terminal. They were too large to transplant so were instead torn out and cut up. Here was the scoop used to load those tree remains into trucks.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:13:15 Sunday 5 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2979
Add a comment or report a mistake

Old Trolley Tracks
(31 of 39) (13438 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101205_131413_BCY_2980.jpg

The bus boarding level for MUNI buses used to also be the boarding area for trolleys. The Market Street Subway eliminated the Transbay Terminal from trolley service.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:14:13 Sunday 5 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_2980
Add a comment or report a mistake

Old Trolley Tracks
(32 of 39) (13465 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101213_163909_BCY_3092.jpg

As the grand old terminal was demolished, so grew the pile of rubble out front.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 16:39:09 Monday 13 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_3092
Add a comment or report a mistake

Gutted
(33 of 39) (13347 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101213_164005_BCY_3094.jpg

The Original Transbay Terminal lay gutted and laid open. All four of its floors could be seen at once.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 16:40:05 Monday 13 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_3094
Add a comment or report a mistake

The Fremont End Remained
(34 of 39) (13401 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101223_134115_BCY_3015.jpg

The Fremont Street end of the Original Transbay Terminal was about all that was left.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:41:15 Thursday 23 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_3015
Add a comment or report a mistake

Tagged Grand Windows
(35 of 39) (13384 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101223_134534_BCY_3110.jpg

Even the grand windows a the end of the Original Transbay Terminal could not resist the disgrace of being tagged with graffiti.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Fremont Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:45:34 Thursday 23 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_3110
Add a comment or report a mistake

A Last Inside View
(36 of 39) (13363 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20101223_134534_BCY_3111.jpg

One of the last shots possible of the interior of the Original Transbay Terminal. Notice the grand but tagged windows at the far end toward Fremont Street.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  First Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 13:45:34 Thursday 23 December 2010)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #BCY_3111
Add a comment or report a mistake

All Gone
(37 of 39) (13371 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20110105_164152_B11_3193.jpg

As viewed from Mission Street, the Original Transbay Terminal had nearly achieved history. Nothing was left at this point that resembled the original.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Mission Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 16:41:42 Wednesday 5 January 2011)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #B11_3193
Add a comment or report a mistake

An Empty Door
(38 of 39) (13394 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20110105_164313_B11_3194.jpg

On Fremont Street was one of the original doors. Seen through this door was once a grand old Transbay Terminal.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Fremont Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 16:43:13 Wednesday 5 January 2011)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #B11_3194
Add a comment or report a mistake

The Last Door
(39 of 39) (13380 views)

./Old_Transbay_Terminal_Teardown_20110105_164418_B11_3197.jpg

Demolition could be viewed through one of the last doors that remained intact. At the far end were other doors, but they all had cracked glass.


Teardown Original Transbay Terminal   •  Fremont Street, San Francisco, California   •  (Photo posted Thursday 13 January 2011)   •  (Photo taken 16:44:18 Wednesday 5 January 2011)   •  © 2011 Bryan Costales Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License #B11_3197
Add a comment or report a mistake


Subscribe to our mailing list for a Sunday summary of the week's stories.
* indicates required
Email Format
home contact topic guide top 25 photos video writing blogs upload terms privacy