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Research and experience of past earthquakes suggest the need for buildings that are less vulnerable to damage and easier to repair after a major earthquake. Our research aims to develop a new structural system that employs controlled frame rocking action and replaceable structural fuses to provide safe and cost effective resistance to earthquakes. The system combines desirable aspects of conventional steel-braced frame systems with energy dissipating shear fuses that are mobilized through rocking action. Vertical post-tensioning is provided to increase overturning resistance and enhance the self-centering characteristics to reduce residual drifts. This is the first of two companion papers to present research findings from a NSF-NEES Small Group Project on this topic. This paper examines the behavior of controlled rocking systems through large (1/2) scale rocking-frame subassembly tests conducted at the …