FAWLTY TOWER

Repairs to Sinking San Francisco High-Rise Actually Sank It Further

“Some of the settlement and tilting that has occurred in recent months could have been avoided,” said the lead engineer.

Repairs to a sinking high-rise in San Francisco full of multi-million-dollar apartments meant to stop the tower’s tilting actually made it worse. Engineers began drilling and installing casings around Millennium Tower’s base months ago to buttress the skyscraper and halt the sinking. However, the engineering firm overseeing the project suggested to the tower’s homeowners’ association that the project stop in late July. It did not pause until late August. Lead engineer Ron Hamburger said in a statement, “While some of the settlement and tilting that has occurred in recent months could have been avoided by halting construction earlier, neither the building’s safety or functionality have been affected,” adding that the unnecessary construction and sinking somehow put the engineering team “in a better position” than before.