On October 1 , 1987 , at 7:42 a.m. , the Whittier Narrows earthquake struck , the epicenter being six miles ( 10 km ) north by northwest of Whittier . The seismic event , which registered 5.9 on the moment magnitude scale , resulted in eight casualties and massive damage to uptown Whittier 's historic buildings . Three days later , on October 4 , 1987 , at 3:59 a.m. , a major aftershock measuring 5.2 occurred , causing further damage . Buildings and residential structures which were already borderline unsafe were now deemed unsafe or uninhabitable . In the years following the earthquake , the city 's deteriorating uptown business district , which suffered substantial damage in the earthquake , became the focus of renewed development , which met with opposition from many Whittier citizens . Out of the rubble of the earthquake the Whittier Conservancy was formed in 1987 in an effort to stop the demolition of many historic buildings and residences after the disaster . The city also created a Historic Resources Commission to oversee the approval of historic designations , historic districts and Mills Act proposals . The Whittier Narrows earthquake also destroyed The Quad at Whittier , a shopping mall which had to be rebuilt
Whittier Narrows earthquake
1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake
Whittier, California