Ocean House is a large Victorian waterfront hotel built in 1868 on Bluff Avenue in the historic Watch Hill district of Westerly, Rhode Island.
The original 1868 hotel was closed in 2003; it was destroyed in 2005 and a new facility was opened in 2010 on the same site that retains many of the shapes and appearance of its original structure, as well as its original name. Both the original and the reconstructed are known for their rambling Victorian architecture and distinctive yellow buildings.
The original Ocean House is the last seaside Victorian era hotel on Rhode Island mainland.
Video Ocean House, Rhode Island
Histori
The Ocean House was originally built in 1868. It was smaller than other hotels located on Watch Hill, but expanded with many additions over the years. The original Ocean House is a central structure in Watch Hill's Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In March 2004, Girouard Associates of New Canaan, Connecticut purchased the facility from the family heir of Louis D. Miller, who has owned the hotel since 1938. Girouard Associates intends to undermine the Ocean House and build five large beachfront homes, but protests ensued. A new buyer is finally found, and the spirit of the original building is maintained, though not the actual building.
The American Aristocracy film starring Douglas Fairbanks was filmed at Ocean House in 1916.
Maps Ocean House, Rhode Island
Closure, protest, and uninstall
Factors related to the original Ocean House closure include lack of modern facilities, dilapidated conditions, and disobedience to current building codes. The original Ocean House operates on a seasonal basis, open approximately three months of the year, and the building has no heating, air conditioning, and ventilation system. In the last years of operation, the top two floors were unused and only 59 rooms could be used from the original 159. The aging facilities lacked the necessary facilities, service functions, exit requirements, disabled accessibility requirements, and parking to meet the modern codes. A newspaper article described his final condition: "Grand staircases are not going anywhere, rain water seeps through the walls and flows in the wire gutters in place.
The 138-year-old building does not fit the current building and the live safety code. The wooden structure has been compromised by the haphazard installation of electricity, gas, and utility pipes, as well as subsequent room reconfigurations to include private bathrooms. The Rhode Island fire rules were revised and more stringently enacted after the nightclub fire in 2003, thereby reducing the insurmountable deficiencies in Ocean House. Compliance with current living safety standards, including for storm and wind protection, required installation of interior structural sliding walls, new stirrups with new frames, new concrete foundations with steel joints all over, stripping of all lead and exterior lead paint, and removal of molds interior that requires the demolition of interior finishing.
In 2004, Ocean House was not allowed to open due to lack of codes; the original hotel stopped operating in 2003 and sold. The community learned in March 2004 that a developer from out of town planned to tear down the Ocean House and build five houses in its place, so organizers began a campaign to save the building and preserve beach and beach access at public locations. The organizers include representatives from Preserve Rhode Island, Rhode Island Historical Preservation, and Heritage Commission, as well as the National Trust. Another buyer was found to find it economically and physically impossible to make the building work and code, but he promised to rebuild it from scratch. The original building was destroyed and new facilities were built on site.
Reconstruction
The project architects encountered resistance with the demolition of the Ocean House, but they succeeded in arguing for reconstruction. They suggested a building imitating the original Sea Building as it was at its peak, circa 1908. This would allow a hotel with 49 suitable rooms on a scale to the adjacent streets, whilst expanding toward the beach where 23 condos could be accommodated. It will also enable it to have facilities and service functions that can make the project functionally and economically viable.
The original Ocean House structure was destroyed in December 2005 and the next facility opened in 2010.
The new design is 50,000 square feet larger than the original at 156,000 square feet. It reconstructs much of the original mass and restores certain original details that have been removed during ongoing operation of the facility, such as the original mansard roof. It also incorporates new elements, including underground facilities and two new wings stretching from the main building, which also protects the neighboring residential areas from hotel activities.
The original facility is documented and overall dimensions and altitude are maintained, including the size and location of the window. The actual pieces of the original building were rescued and the design replicates columns, capitals, and wood. The materials in human reach are wood, while the inaccessible details are made of a more easily synthetic material.
The new facility features 49 guest rooms and 23 residential condominium suites, as well as meeting rooms, spas, trajectory pools, fitness center and restaurant. The design also accommodates the necessary service functions for modern facilities: the latest kitchen, loading dock, mechanical chamber, fire exit requirements (eg redundant stairs), and staffing facilities.
Gallery
References
External links
- Ocean House website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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