S.F. City Hall Unsafe, Building Inspector Says
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SAN FRANCISCO — Damage to City Hall in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was greater than thought and the structure should be vacated immediately, according to a memo by San Francisco’s outgoing chief building inspector.
The memo said the 78-year-old neoclassic building lost some of its structural ability to withstand further earthquake shocks. It also said that loose tile and stonework could fall in a small quake.
Inspector Larry Litchfield last week announced that he will leave his post Feb. 1. His boss, Department of Public Works Director John Cribbs, conceded that Litchfield’s fears about falling tiles and stonework have merit. However, he said the edifice is mostly safe.
Cribbs said that Litchfield was not a structural expert. He added that the city’s engineers concluded that another quake would not cause the building to collapse.
A three-year, $128.5-million plan to retrofit City Hall will start in 1995, he said.
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