It's been almost 25 years since the Nisqually earthquake, the last "big one" to hit Seattle. 

But the region is due for an even bigger one -- one that could be more massive than the underwater quake that just hit off the coast of Russia. 

The Nisqually quake did at least $2 billion worth of damage across the Puget Sound region. It hit Seattle’s historic brick and stone buildings hard, and the city has learned a lot of expensive lessons about what would make them safer. 

So... is old Seattle worth saving? And is there a way to do it that won’t bankrupt the owners, or the city?

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Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Lucy Soucek and Alec Cowan. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.