The Canterbury, New Zealand, earthquake sequence that began with the M7.1 event at 4.35 am on 4 September 2010 ultimately led to a M6.3 event beneath the city of Christchurch at 12.50 pm on 22 February 2011. More than three quarters of the buildings in the central city were destroyed or damaged beyond repair. The Excelsior Hotel damage was typical. Structural mechanics tells us that any building with X-shaped damage like that will very likely not survive or be salvaged. I had an apartment in an historic building across the street from the Excelsior. I used to be able to look into the windows of the hotel. Those sites are now unpaved parking lots, even 14 years later.