This paper presents a novel approach that facilitates the design of active controllers to mitigate seismically induced damage in structural systems. The proposed method is based on stochastic Modified Black Hole optimization algorithm. Two traditional controllers, namely Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) and Linear–Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controllers were designed, and their performance was demonstrated on a benchmark 20-story steel-framed building. Evaluation criteria were defined to satisfy constraints on various response quantities, including drift, base shear, ductility, residual story drift, and control force. The constraint limits were defined in view of performance-based design requirements for the benchmark structure. The performance of the controllers was contrasted with that of traditional LQG, and significant reductions of all response quantities were achieved for design-level earthquakes.