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During the 2011 Mineral, Virginia Earthquake the Smithsonian Institute Museum Support Center (MSC) sustained considerable structural damage. An in-depth study was conducted to investigate the behavior of MSC during this earthquake and its potential implication on seismic risk of East Coast U.S. structures. The damage sustained by this building is documented and it is observed that the severity of damage is not uniformly distributed in the floor plan. A finite element model is created to perform the seismic response prediction using recorded ground motions in order to explain the cause of structural damage. A field vibration test was conducted to capture the dynamic characteristics of the building which are in turn used to calibrate the finite element model. Results from seismic analysis reveal that the main reason for seismic damage is local soil amplification and combined torsional and translational effects due to an eccentric floor mass distribution relative to the center of rigidity (CR) of the floor plan.

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