After a small earthquake in 1968, judges refused to hold court in the main courtroom, expressing concern that the stained-glass dome might crash down on them. (An earthquake in 1954 had caused pieces of plaster to fall from the ceiling in the courtroom and law library.) The County asked a structural engineer, W. D. Crouch Jr., to examine the building, and he concluded that the courthouse was structurally unsafe in the event of an earthquake. In November 1968, the County enacted an evacuation plan to relocate all workers from the building within 90 days. The evacuation was completed in January 1969.