On September 29, 1717, the San Miguel earthquake struck the city and destroyed the San Lucas School building; the tremor cracked the tower and destroyed the top part of the main gate. The master builder of Santiago de Guatemala, Diego de Porres, inspected the damage and calculated that it was necessary to invest between five and six thousand pesos to repair it. Three years later, however, the Jesuits had rebuilt the structure, and when the master builder returned to inspect the building, declared it better and prettier than the original. However, on March 4, 1751, the San Casimiro earthquake destroyed the church roof forcing the Jesuits to once again ask for help to the parishioners to rebuild; once again, the building was among the most beautiful of the city when the repairs were completed.