Millennium Tower pictured far right
In August of 2016, it was discovered that a luxury high rise condominium complex in San Francisco, which houses several celebrities, was sinking and leaning considerably. The 58-story Millennium Tower contains home that range in value of anywhere from $1.6 million to $10 million. Since the discovery, fingers have been pointed in all directions and several lawsuits have been filed.
A new study by Arup, an engineering firm, has determined that the headline making building has tilted an additional 2.5 inches, just from the beginning of 2017. That tilting rate is twice as fast as it was originally measured by the same firm.
The developer has hired two other engineering firms to determine how to finally stabilize the building, which has been open since 2008. The firms have suggested drilling 50 to 100 piles, between 10 inches and 12 inches in diameter, down to the bedrock below. Initial estimates of the fix range from $100 million to $150 million, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Amazingly, SF Curbed reported that homeowners have still been able to sell their condos in the Millennium Tower for a profit, even with the plethora of negative press surrounding the building.
In 2016, it was discovered that San Francisco’s Millennium Tower, a $350 million, 58-story luxury condo was sinking and tilting. From the most recent count, the tower had sunk 18 inches and leaned 4 inches – doesn’t sound like luxury to me. After several rounds of fix designs, lawsuits, and cracked windows, it is believed that the fixes will begin this fall.