Redevelopment Of Government Buildings And Surroundings

A decade of afterthought (and a major earthquake) brings changes. "Building Number One" had been constructed somewhat as a generic industrial building based on the design of a textile manufacturing plant. Its specifications exceeded the Uniform Building Code requirements in effect at the time by some 20%. Because of its flexible timber and steel frame construction, it could withstand vibration loads, but resonances would prove problematic for the stable platform needed for critical analytical chemistry work. Don Eberlein was instrumental in seeing that the conspicuous concrete and steel vault would serve a dual purpose, to secret away sensitive documents, and to provide a stable floor for an upper story chemistry lab. Subsequent to the San Fernando earthquake of 1971, the building's strength was improved by retrofitting with outboard "ductile moment" frames to increase lateral resistance to K factor 1.33 and vertical moment resistance to K factor 1. A network of steel I-beam seismic re-enforcement bracing was added externally and tied to interior building framing. The boxy design on the seismic retrofit was also intended to allow for making the building larger (giving potential for constructing outboard" rooms integrated onto the new framework). The trusses have their own foundation footings and the steelwork rusts to a protective finish.

"Building Number Two" was designed to a floor plan by Dave Gallagher (USGS) but constructed by the cheap post tensioned lift slab technique: pour a floor, haul it up some poles, and fill in the gaps with walls. At the time, lift slab was considered an innovative and inexpensive building technique which allowed for open, flexible floor plans. History has shown that incomplete lift slab and tilt up buildings (and/or those improperly built) showed a propensity to pancake or fold in on themselves during earthquakes. The 1971 San Fernando earthquake led to some major revisions incorporated into the 1976 Uniform Building Code. Unknown problems with brittle nature of the construction materials and the design's dubious safety led USGS planners (1973-1979) to add on an artistic steel exoskeleton (interwoven hexagonal lattice pattern) serving to help counter earthquake shear stresses with increased building stiffness. The braces have their own foundation footings are connected to the floors and roof by bolts and epoxy. Six concrete shear walls were added internally and connected by dowels and epoxy grout. (The seismic retrofit strategies for buildings 1 and 2 were formulated by architect Richard C. Marshall and carried out by Forell/Elsesser Engineers Inc.) The concrete lift slab construction of the building proved problematic for lab installation (we could not easily cut holes into the floor) so someone came up with the idea of adding lab trailers adjacent to the building. Fay Moran (GSA) OK'd the idea for lab trailers, but only if USGS maintained license plates on the trailers (because they would only be temporarily parked there).

USGS was able to make a sizable cut in lease-purchase period when GSA's Los Angeles' FBI building came in considerably under budget/ GSA used the left over money to expedite the purchase of USGS Buildings One and Two. Funds for construction of Building Three came from Congressional appropriation.

"Building Number Three" construction was adeptly handled by Bob Davis (Engineer in the Topographic Division), "Ace" Engstrom (GSA Design and Construction Chief), and Lubet & Glynn (Architects). Invitation to bid for the construction hit a "slow" time in the market, the entire building (including landscaping and driveways) was built 1957-1959 for only 1.2 million dollars. It was occupied by Topographic Division in 1959, who's employees were reluctant to move to the Bay Area from their more favored living situation in Sacramento. It was constructed as lift slab with substantial interior concrete shear walls for added strength. The building survived the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, but on close inspection one can find the building has been torqued askew. It has long been marked for seismic, fire-safety, and handicap access upgrades and (if budgets permit) is on the agenda for remodeling scheduled for the near future, (Some seismic work was accomplished, 1992-1993)

Middlefield Road-facing "Building Number Four" could have been bought from Fireman's Fund insurance company for $500,000 but Washington balked at the idea (price and suitability issues), so the Geological Survey ended up renting it instead. We have since been evicted, the building destroyed, and a new office building (which stood long- vacant) has taken its place. (At this writing a new rock processing lab building is being constructed in the back parking lot; the RPL will be assigned the numeral four and take the vacancy in our numbering system). [Addendum/Update: the new Building 4 was completed in 1992 and move in took place in 1993]. Building 5 (Library), 6 (Water Resources), 7&8 (Earthquakes) were also acquired as rentals. Shell Oil Company was willing to sell us Building 7 & 8 for about 10 million dollars (but we couldn't come up with the money) and then offered it as a rental (at a price which was considered too high under the "Economy Act") so USGS had to sue Shell for a priceÉthe judge stayed the rules of the "Economy Act" such that Shell got a favorable price (and USGS, under this judicial mandate, could get permission to rent the building). Other rentals include Building 14, located at the MARFAC boat dock City, and Buildings 18 (Admin. Shipping/Receiving) and 19 (Geologic Rock Storage) warehouses in East Palo Alto. Buildings 22 and 23 are off campus in Palo Alto (known as Deer Creek A & B) but these buildings will be vacated when a new (yet unnamed) on-campus building will be constructed and/or when PMG moves to U.C. Santa Cruz.

Over the years USGS has made use of the acquired Army hospital and swapped SRI land for expansion. In addition to the Army buildings (recycled as "Temporary Structures" 9A, 9B, 9C) the land acquisition has allowed the agency to park Trailer Labs (9D nos. 1-14), and provide homes for the Amino Acid Lab (9E), Storage (9F), Isotope Geology (9G), Water Resources prefab (9H), and Water Resources trailers (9I, 9K), the Selenium Lab (9K), Radiocarbon Lab (10) with its underground radiation vault, the Geochemistry "tin palace" (11), Chemical Storage Hut (12), GeoKids prefabs and playground (13), our rock processing lab (the 'new' Building Four), and eventually, the "new" multipurpose building (to replace the rented Deer Creek facilities #22 and #23 and the aforementioned trailers and tarpaper shacks). Circumstances arising early 1992, however, seem to preclude that our Deer Creek folks may end up in Santa Cruz instead of the Menlo campus. Political winds seem to favor establishment of an internationally significant Pacific Rim Marine Environmental Sciences consortium loosely centered in various locations around Monterey Bay. USGS Pacific Marine Geology has been invited to share new (yet to be built) quarters at University of Santa Cruz with UCSC faculty. If this occurs, the building planned for the USGS campus will he primarily backfilled by Building 6 (Water Resources Division) and Building 5 (Survey Library) instead of PMG.

In a motion that a former ACG described as "selling off the ranch to build a barn" in an attempt to get our high-rent Deer Creek folks from out in the outback back down to the old flea ranch, in October 1991 the twelve acres of DOI/USGS buildings and land were given unto GSA for its pledge to construct new buildings the USGS could henceforth lease from them. As of this author's writing of this paragraph (winter 1991) the USGS is constructing a new rock-processing facility and is negotiating construction details for the "new" building which (we hope) will be sympathetically constructed by GSA. USGS has given up it's land claim--put in historical perspective, GSA quite literally "owns the farm." The current thrust is to place a state-of-the-art science facility on the Middlefield lawn, build a new magnetics laboratory to the rear of the property, and remove the Building 9 shacks and trailers, converting that area into driveway and additional parking. There is an effort to possibly save/remodel structure 9B (or move and reconstruct a reasonable facsimile thereof) to serve as an historic relic of paleomagnetism research, identifiable as a National Historic Site of Plate Tectonics research. To save it in its present site (or move it next to the new paleomag lab to be constructed) would preclude a loss of about 6 of the additional 224 parking spaces planned for the back lot. As a unique and significant building here, shack 9B can attract visitors to the USGS campus and serve as an interpretive element of benefit to the Department of the Interior, United States Geological Survey, General Services Administration, and the City of Menlo Park. It's public relations potential should not be underestimated. [Addendum/Update spring 1994. the champion of the NHS nomination, Clyde Wahrhaftig, has died at age 74. It is up to visionaries still living to preserve the Paleomag shack as a tangible link to a long and glorious heritage, mark place amid USGS and geoscience culture and history, highlighted by revolutionary changes in geologic thinking wrought by researchers who worked inside its humble walls. As a "way station" for introspection and thought, shack 9B can foster our present and future generations to ponder the past and plan the future, and share a sense of sincere appreciation for the opportunity.]

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