architect/engineer design team had prepared plans to expand the facilities at Brooks Hall with an additional exhibition building to be built in the block west across Polk from the Civic Auditorium. By 1976, according to a proposal submitted to the City, "the existing building does not meet the expectations of today's conventioneer or exhibitor" and a renovation was proposed to update meeting rooms, offices, and restrooms." For instance, the Show Manager's Office was accessed through the vestibule of the men's restroom, which had "excessive odor" due to the use of absorptive grout, and a storage space was used for food service, rather than a dedicated kitchen. Before 1981, the auditorium and Brooks Hall were used as the city’s primary convention center; after that date bookings at Brooks Hall suffered because of competition from more modern event spaces such as Moscone Center (completed in 1981 and expanded in 1991), Fashion Center (completed in 1990 and later leased by Zynga as its headquarters), and the Marriott Hotel (completed in 1989). A 1987 report advocated retaining Brooks Hall as a cheaper alternative to Moscone Center, as the cost to rent Brooks was half that of Moscone, and hotels in Civic Center were more affordable as well. Events fell from a high of 26 held in 1988 to just 15 in 1993. The space was closed to the public in April 1993 because of the construction of the new Main Library. The new Main Library was built on the Marshall Square block bounded by Larkin, Fulton, Hyde, and Grove streets, incorporating the Brooks Hall truck access ramp that "visually marred" the formal approach to City Hall from Market Street. The ramp, near the southwest corner of Fulton and Hyde, is still used by the Library and Brooks Hall. In 1996, it was estimated that it would require a minimum investment of $1.6M to bring the facility in compliance with the ADA and fire codes, and possibly require up to $40M to refurbish the space for other uses. Following the closure of Brooks Hall, the City's Department of Convention Facilities transferred authority over the space to the real estate department after a 1996 study concluded there was no economical way to continue using it as an exhibition space. A survey of existing conditions in 1998 concluded that the electrical, lighting, plumbing, fire alarm, and telecommunications systems, all of which dated to the original 1958 installation,