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Mr. Norris Jay Pritchard Sr. shares a story about the construction of the Varisco Building in Downtown Bryan

Mr. Norris Jay Pritchard Sr.: When they started to build the Varisco building, of course, the Varisco building was probably the biggest building that had been built in downtown Bryan in a long, long time, So as a consequence they started to excavate and this two story building was next door.

Interviewer: Do you know what was in that building?

Mr. Norris Jay Pritchard Sr.: Yes, it was the White's Auto.

Interviewer: Okay.

Mr. Norris Jay Pritchard Sr.: And when they started to excavate they started putting these footings down underneath the... See, the Varisco building has a full basement underneath of it. So in the basement hole they were putting these footings down with a auger foundation type drilling thing. And so they started on the 23rd street side, come around to Bryan, come around the Main Street front, and the first hole that they punched next to that building the people inside said they heard the building go "Urr-urr." And they went outside and looked and there was a big crack from the one corner to the other. And so they stopped immediately and they tied cables around the building to try to stabilize it.

Mr. Norris Jay Pritchard Sr.: And there's always a story about the night Watchman. I don't know whether it's true or not, but the story was that there was a night Watchman that was assigned until they got the full foundation in, that slept on top of that building and that he'd take his come along and check it to make sure the tension was where ought to be every 30 minutes. He was paid to do that on the cables that held the building together. But later on they actually put some anchors in down the block back, oh, about there where the courts is now to help hold the top of the building up until they got the Varisco building up out of the hole.