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January 27, 2020

Best in state: Gold award
Successful Fulfillment of Client/Owner Needs

Reid Middleton

Photo by Jeff Caven
The 97-room Paradise Inn Annex lacked a modern structural system to resist wind and earthquake forces.

Project: Paradise Inn Annex rehabilitation
Client: National Park Service

The Paradise Inn had served Mount Rainier National Park visitors for 100 years, but time had taken its toll. The lodge’s annex building was particularly affected, as it had not received the same upgrades in the past as the main building.

Winters brought snow deep enough to reach the building’s third floor, causing crushing damage to the exterior wood wall and signs of wear to the exterior stone foundation. Additionally, the 97-room annex lacked a modern structural system to resist wind and earthquake forces and there wasn’t a way to circulate fresh air, a necessity for modern facilities.

As the project’s structural engineer for the seismic upgrade and repair, Reid Middleton designed a plan that would allow the building to meet modern building codes while retaining the historic materials and appearance of the national landmark.

The historic nature of the annex made performing upgrades particularly challenging. To address stringent historic criteria governing the appearance of the building’s exterior, the team cataloged and removed each above-grade original stone that made up the foundation wall system.

The failing system was replaced with modern reinforced concrete foundation walls, then the stones were later reinstalled at the same locations to precisely preserve the wall’s original appearance. By all outside appearances, nothing about the stone wall has changed.

The design team got creative when faced with the placement of a mechanical penthouse over an existing stair tower — work that would need to be performed without changing the appearance of the historic structure. To pass the scrutiny of the historic architect, Reid Middleton investigated the existing attic on site and found a historic attic access opening that had been covered during a previous renovation project.

The location still included framing suitable for an access opening and was proposed for the new mechanical access location. This option was accepted for the final design direction, providing a simple strategy that the park’s historic architect approved.

Reid Middleton’s detailed investigation work and careful design and planning of construction resulted in completion of the renovation work on schedule.


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