Historic buildings are exposed to the dangers of seismic damage, as much as modern buildings. The risk to these buildings depends not only on the intensity of the earthquake but also on the dimensions of the structure, the shape of the building, and the materials of which it is made. Experience shows that wooden and steel frame buildings are more earthquake resistant than masonry buildings. The traditional approach to strengthen such buildings has been to make them comply with modern design standards. This approach is not always suitable for historic buildings. Based on extensive research, an alternative design method has been developed by the author for reinforcing historic buildings. This method is called The Damage Analysis Approach. This method examines the manner in which the structure is expected to fail and directs the failure mode to minimize risks. The article includes two examples of building reinforcement to reduce seismic damage. One example is the Carnegie Library, a masonry building in Oxnard, California. The other example is an adobe building in San Juan Capistrano, also in California.