measuring floating on fill and sand. The overall dimensions of Brooks Hall itself are including mechanical spaces and offices, and overall height is , measured floor-to-floor. Inside, the ceiling has a vertical clearance of to the floor; square concrete pillars measuring on a side are spaced on centers to support the space. Forced air ventilation is provided; air may be heated (using steam from city plants) or chilled (using a chilled water system); aboveground, the ventilation structures near one playground are the most visible sign of Brooks Hall. The roof of Brooks Hall is covered with soil varying between deep. A report published in 1998 estimated the weight of Brooks Hall alone may not be sufficient to resist the buoyant uplift without the soil covering. The prime contractor for Brooks Hall was Theo G. Meyer & Sons; the architects were Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons collaborating with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; engineering was provided by H.J. Brunnier and DeLeuw, Cather & Co. History At the opening ceremony, Mayor Christopher bragged that the site had already been booked for 74 days in 1958, 104 days in 1959, and 117 days in 1960. However, just six months after opening, Saul Poliak, an innovator in industry trade shows, called Brooks Hall "distressingly inadequate" and had left "San Francisco unprepared for major conventions and exhibitions" while providing some faint comparative praise: "Your chief competitor out here is Los Angeles, of course, and right now they’re in worse shape than you are." Notable exhibitions One of the first shows booked at the new exhibition space was the 1958 American Medical Association convention. For that show, Wallace Laboratories had commissioned artist Salvador Dalí for an eye-catching piece to promote its new tranquilizer, Miltown. The result, Crisalida, a long walk-through cocoon-shaped gallery made from parachute silk intended to display the journey from anxiety to calm, made headlines nationally, including coverage in Time. During its operating history, Brooks Hall became home to events such as the Harvest Festival, the San Francisco Gift Show, and the West Coast Computer Faire, credited as the first microcomputer convention, which drew 12,700 visitors its first year (1977). It was also where Apple hosted the first Macworld convention in 1985, and many subsequent ones. Contrary to popular belief, the 1968 Mother of All Demos was not held at Brooks Hall, but in the nearby Civic Auditorium. Decline and closure By October 1958, the original