The second event was the 1952 earthquake . Similar to the great fire , a lot of the city was destroyed . When examined , most of the buildings that survived were reinforced structures ( primarily reinforced concrete ) . Many of the buildings that fell were built with non-reinforced brick . When the city was rebuilt , it was required that large structures be constructed with reinforced materials
1952 earthquake
1952 Kern County earthquake
Bakersfield Department of Development Services