Ocean House, Rhode Island
The Ocean House is a large Victorian hotel located in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. Watch Hill is a small fire district located in the town of Westerly within Washington County. At the time of it's closing the hotel was 152,165 square feet large. It was the last remaining water front Victorian Era hotel on mainland Rhode Island.
History
Originally built in 1868 the Ocean House was rather small compared to the other large hotels located on Watch Hill. Over the years many additions were made to the hotel to make it a grand yellow land mark on the shore. A movie called American Aristocracy starring Douglas Fairbanks was filmed in 1916 at the Ocean House.
Closing
The old Ocean House did not have any heating, air conditioning, or ventilation. It was a seasonal hotel only open for about 3 months a year. After the Great White Station nightclub fire, Rhode Island's demanding fire codes were more rigorously enforced. The 138 year old structure was grossly noncompliant with current building and life safety codes. The timber building's structure was compromised due to installation of electric and gas lines, plumbing, and reconfiguring the rooms to have private bathrooms. In the last years of the hotels life the top two floors were off limits to guests. Of the original 159 rooms only 59 could be used. The Ocean House closed its doors in 2003 and was sold.
The current owners considered renovating the old building. To do so would have required installation of interior structural sheer walls to bring the Ocean House up to current code for hurricane and wind loads. New hurricane-rated windows set in new frames and a brand new foundation made of concrete with steel tie-downs throughout would have also been needed. All lead paint would have to be stripped off the exterior and interior. Interior mold would have be removed which meant demolishing interior finishes. To offer today's hotel amenities two floors would need to be created below the current building. Plus a concealed parking garage would be required. All these problems would be economically and physically impossible to fix. So the owners decided to replicate the Ocean House.
Now
The old historic Ocean House structure was demolished in December 2005. The huge building with such a long history took only a few days to come down. The new building will replicate over 60% of the old building. The new hotel will only have 51 guest rooms. There will be 17 luxury residential suites available for purchase. They will be priced at $2 million to $7 million for 1 or 2 bedrooms. New amenities in the new hotel will include meeting rooms, spa, lap pool, fitness center, and restaurant. The construction of the new Ocean House is being managed by Dimeo Construction Company of Providence, RI. The new Ocean House should open in 2009.