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The Getty Conservation Institute
After the Quake: Historic Preservation in Los
Angeles
By John Hinrichs
Southern California got an early wake-up call on January 17, 1994, as the most
destructive earthquake in the history of Los Angeles struck at 4:31 a.m. The 6.7-
magnitude earthquake crushed lives, destroyed highways, turned parking structures into
rubble, and brought the contents of buildings crashing to the floor. A 5.9-magnitude
aftershock rumbled through the city just a minute after the quake, and millions of people
fled into the streets in those predawn hours.
The Northridge earthquake was centered in the San Fernando
Valley, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Destruction was not
limited to the epicenter, and communities 20 or more miles away
experienced severe damage. Fifty-seven people lost their lives,
thousands were injured, and thousands more were left homeless.
Remarkably, Southern California museums suffered little damage
to collections through all this devastation. Over the past decade,
museums have upgraded protection with a variety of techniques,
from isolator bases—mechanical devices that can absorb up to 80
percent of ground movement while allowing objects to remain
relatively still—to adhesive wax and bubble wrap.
Unfortunately, historic structures throughout Southern California
were not as secure. More than five hundred officially designated
landmarks and other historically or architecturally significant
buildings were damaged, with an estimated repair cost of more
than $250 million. Damaged historic structures included the Los
Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles City Hall, the Andrés
Pico Adobe, and the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.
The El Cortez apartment In the first few days after January 17, several preservation
house in Santa Monica organizations formed a consortium to save threatened buildings.
just hours after the Ultimately named Historic Preservation Partners for Earthquake
January 17 earthquake Response, the group included the Los Angeles Conservancy, the
struck. The building, California Office of Historic Preservation, the National Trust for
constructed in 1928, was Historic Preservation, and the Getty Conservation Institute.
awarded a technical
assistance grant and is For most of the Partners, this involvement was an extension of
being repaired. Photo: their ongoing efforts in planning for disasters and disaster
Nancy Kaye 1994. response. In the mid-1980s, for example, the GCI initiated a
series of meetings on disaster preparedness that brought
together directors of cultural institutions and disaster experts. These meetings played a
part in sensitizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the value of
cultural property and brought about a shift in fema policy with regard to conservation.
The National Trust has been particularly active in disaster response. "The first time the
National Trust really responded to a disaster was Hurricane Hugo in late 1989, and then
the Loma Prieta earthquake," says Peter Brink, a vice president with the National Trust.
"The key to our quick response this time was the support from the Getty Conservation
Institute. They provided key staff people who made the difference."
Within two weeks of the quake, the consortium developed a low-interest loan program
with First Interstate Bank of California to offer immediate funds to stabilize historic
buildings. Owners of historic properties could borrow up to $20,000, with an interest rate
of no higher than 4 percent for the first year. The funds were available for architectural
and engineering services and the cost of materials and labor necessary to stabilize
buildings.