Dirty Harry - Third Victim
Then … Scorpio has threatened to kill a Catholic priest; acting on a hunch that he might return to the Dante Building rooftop on the corner of Union and Stockton in North Beach where he was seen earlier (it has a clear view of Sts. Peter and Paul church), Callahan and Gonzalez station themselves on the rooftop of a taller nearby building, viewed here from the Dante Building roof. As if anticipating the sinful episode about to take place, its roof displays a Christian message on a rotating vertical neon sign.
… and Now, this is the rooftop of 1520 Stockton Street (map), a half block from the Dante Building. Looming in the background is the former Bank Of America building at 555 California Street; Scorpio picked off his first victim from there.
Coincidentally, the aformentioned earlier scene showed a brief glimpse of the sign, on the right below, which by the way was built especially for the movie.
… and Now, when the movie was filmed 1520 Stockton housed the Medical Insurance Division of California Blue Shield; the current tenant is the main clinic of North East Medical Services, a health provider in Chinatown mostly serving the Asian community. The Dante block is visible further down the block at 1606 Stockton.
Then … From his vantage point Callahan scans the Dante building roof for signs of the killer. Note the brightly-lit top floor apartment next to it at 570 Union Street - it will shortly become a major distraction. An illuminated block of Stockton Street recedes in the background and the Catholic Church is partially visible in the top left corner.
… and Now, this recent aerial view shows those buildings relative to each other. The yellow ‘X” marks where the ‘Jesus Saves’ sign stood.
Pay attention, Harry! A young woman walking around naked in the 570 Union Street apartment has caught his eye. She even unashamedly opens the door for visitors.
They suddenly realize that Scorpio is on the roof. A high intensity gun battle between the buildings ensues, Scorpio’s automatic weapon giving him the edge. He pins them down, gleefully destroying the neon sign before fleeing.
Then … They rush down; once again Scorpio has made his escape, on the way shooting a policeman dead, his third victim.
More of the location details are visible in this publicity still taken during the filming. It’s the narrow Jasper Place alley, looking south across Union Street (map). The exact spot is shown by the red cross in the aerial view four images above.
… and Now, here it is today, unchanged except for exterior house paint.