Oregon Caves Chateau Accessibility and Safety Study

Architectural Resources Group

The Chateau at Oregon Caves National Monument was constructed in 1934 in the rustic style. It is a National Historic Landmark, and although it has experienced some remodeling in the past, it still possesses a very high level of design integrity. The structure provides visitor food services and overnight accommodations to guests visiting Oregon Caves National Monument. The structure is six stories high, approximately 32,400 square feet. The upper five stories are constructed of heavy timber frame with wood frame walls and floors above a concrete wall and concrete slab at the lowest level. Exterior surfaces are sheathed in Port Oreford cedar bark, with a roof of cedar shake. Interior features include log posts with heavy timber beams and wall finishes of Nu-wood (fiberboard) panels. The building, constructed of combustible materials on an isolated site, presents significant fire safety concerns from both the perspectives of wildland fire and internally-generated fire. In addition to life-safety considerations, the Chateau is not accessible to persons with disabilities. The scope of this study is to assess the building’s condition and explore options for reducing life-safety hazards and improving levels of accessibility, while retaining the building’s architectural character. The outlined scope of improvements for the structure include: • Disabled access improvements including parking and an accessible walkway to the main entry, provision for an elevator, development of new accessible bathrooms, and remodeling of two guest rooms to provide accessible guest room facilities. • Fire life-safety improvements including proposed alterations for improved fire-rated wall construction, improved fire alarm/smoke detection systems, sprinkler system upgrades, exterior fire suppression system improvements, and a new egress stair from the third to second floors. • Architectural improvements including reconstruction of the west façade porch and heavy timber exterior fire-stairs from the north and south wings. These improvements, while returning original features to the building, also serve as egress improvements to the building. The conceptual estimated construction cost for the improvements is $3,323,000, exclusive of any soft cost or owner-generated project costs. Subsequent to the preparation of this report, a Value Analysis workshop was held in the Park to review alternatives described here, and to make recommendations for selected options. The final Value Analysis Report, dated February 26, 2006, documents that process and identifies a recommended scope of work for the building.