Odd Fellows Hall crosses Market Street

Odd Fellows Hall has finally made it to the north side of Market Street.

A money dispute between the contractor and the moving company stalled the historical building on the wrong side of Market Street for nearly two months before workers returned to the job site Wednesday morning. The building is being moved to make room for a new federal courthouse.

Dozens of spectators stopped downtown to watch the ambitious move, snapping pictures of the building's trek from the south side of the street.

"Occasionally I see something like this on (television), but this is more personal," said Kaye Madsen, who has been watching the building's yearlong move from her downtown office. "This is going to change the neighborhood."

Work started around 8 a.m. and was completed about 2:15 p.m.

The building must now be moved a few feet to the east and lowered into its permanent location this weekend. A spokesman for Layton Construction, the Sandy-based contractor overseeing the move, said he expects the century-old building to have a new address by next week.

As the move nears its completion, however, officials from Layton Construction and Emmert International, the Oregon-based moving company, are remaining quiet about their ongoing legal dispute.

Emmert workers walked off the job site in June, saying they were owed more than $2 million from Layton.

"Emmert cannot afford any longer to act as (Layton's) and the (U.S. General Services Administration's) bank," court documents state.

The Utah contractor, meanwhile, said it was owed money for additional planning and work it had completed for Emmert.

The GSA owns Odd Fellows Hall and is paying more than $6 million to move the 5-million-pound building from 48 Market St. to 39 Market St.

e-mail: afalk@desnews.com