Phoebe
Apperson Hearst, in memory of her husband, U.S. Senator
George Hearst, a prosperous miner who died in 1891
Construction
Steel
and granite
Size
4
floors, 60 million pounds, 135,000 square feet
Location
800
feet west of the Hayward Fault
Cost
of initial
construction
$671,000
Total cost after
furnishing
$1,065,000
It was the world’s largest building devoted
to mining education at a time when mining was at
its peak. The Bay Area was built largely on the
gold and silver mining booms, and UC had the largest
mining college in the world, with one-fifth of its
male undergraduates studying the profession.
The
Retrofit
Time
4
years
Cost
$90.6
million
Technology
The
retrofit included construction of 134 steel and rubber
laminated composite columns, called base isolators,
which can move 28 inches in any horizontal direction
to allow the building to safely ride out earthquakes.
The technology was pioneered by UC Berkeley engineers
more than 20 years ago.
