although the center's site was thought to have little motion during earthquakes, which are frequent in the los angeles area, in 1994, as the center was being constructed, the northridge earthquake struck. it caused "disturbing hairline cracks... in the welds and plated joints of the steel framework." as a result, the steelwork through the site was retrofitted. the center's buildings are thought to be able to survive an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude on the richter scale.