SAFE damper is a hybrid damper which is comprised of a friction damper and a metallic damper. These two dampers combine to resist external energy in stages. Under minor earthquake loads, the friction damper operates alone. However, the friction damper and metallic damper dissipate the energy together when a severe earthquake occurs. In comparison with other methods for seismic retrofitting, the SAFE damper has many advantages. The SAFE damper doesn’t cause damage to façade of the building, and the construction period can be reduced when retrofitting. This paper describes experiments evaluating the structural performance of the SAFE damper. From the results, it was found that the structural performance of a conventional RC bare frame can be significantly improved by the installation of the SAFE damper.