I heard that Sutro Tower meets the minimum building standards of the 1995 Building Code. Isn that good enough?
No. After the earthquake disasters of Kobe, Japan, and Northridge, California, seismic experts repeatedly warned that meeting minimal building code standards was not enough as numerous code-compliant structures failed or collapsed. Moreover, Sutro Tower is an irregularly shaped structure which was allowed to rust and corrode for a period of 20 years. In 1992, Sutro Tower admitted that “continued neglect” of the tower structure would lead to even more serious problems in the future. The Building Code does not address these concerns: a full dynamic analysis and field tests do address these concerns. • Why are the Associations asking the City to do this study? Doesn’t the City already have a program in place to maintain the tower just as we do for the bridges? No. Sutro Tower is a private facility. Unlike the bridges, there are no public inspections relating to the painting, inspection, and maintenance of this structure. • How many members are there in the Twin Peaks Improvement Associati
