San Francisco War Memorial Veterans Building Seismic Upgrade & Improvements

The War Memorial Veterans Building, designed by Arthur Brown Jr., the architect of City Hall, was formally dedicated on Armistice Day, November 11, 1932. Since then the building has been the site of numerous historic events, the most notable of which was the signing of the United Nations Charter in 1945. In 1989, The Loma Prieta earthquake caused damage at all levels of this historic building. The seismic assessment conducted in 1996 concluded that in a major earthquake, the structure would sustain significant damage and pose appreciable life safety hazards to building occupants. In addition, the building has badly deteriorated building systems, comprised largely of the original 1932 equipment including 80-year old boilers.

 

The proposed seismic upgrade and improvements project provides the City with the opportunity to save and transform this underutilized historic civic asset into a vibrant and lively home for arts and veterans organizations which in turn will contribute to the revitalization of the Civic Center District. All work on the Project will comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

 

The key components of the proposed project are as follows: