Law Threatens Buildings
“Long Beach Building Gets New Life” (Sept. 13) via prettification and innovative approach to strengthening unreinforced masonry walls against earthquakes--all well and good. To a point.
What is omitted here is the threat posed by Long Beach’s earthquake ordinance, the most Draconian of all earthquake ordinances, to its splendid older stock of pre-1933 structures in downtown Long Beach. Unless this measure is repealed or radically revised, the most interesting and historic buildings face a 1990 termination date.
Among these--the Villa Riviera, Willmore, Lafayette and the Sovereign. None of these buildings would be under the gun in any other city in the world, including Los Angeles.
JOHN CARL BROGDON
Long Beach
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