Look out below!

Yesterday downtown this giant crane was blocking the street. I waited to see why, and in a few moments workers appeared on top of the building to attach a large desk to cables and lower it to the van below. This may be a common site in some larger world cities, but moving furniture this way here is a novelty. My only question was why this particular ordinary-looking desk, for it didn't look worth the money or trouble to move it. And I wonder how they originally got it in--the same way?