Adrian, Minnesota

The project involved a renovation and restoration of a small historic hotel and bank, in a rural town, into a senior housing project with support services (such as a dining hall and community areas).  The adaptive reuse involved restoration of historic elements, removal and replacement of non-functional building systems and other associated repairs.

Although a significant amount of HVAC, electrical systems, walls and other materials were required to be removed and replaced, the project conformed to the Secretary of the Interior’s Historic Guidelines and the building was placed on the National Register.

This structure had been previously evaluated by a structural engineer and deemed non-habitable, with a recommendation for demolition.  Jeff Oertel and his team reviewed the structure and determined that the building would be salvageable without a major amount of effort.  In the end, some structural repairs were made, and the roof replaced, making the building serviceable again.

Internally, the wood frame building was adapted from smaller hotel rooms to one and two bedroom apartments.

Attempts were made to conserve and retain as much of the building as possible, even though parts of the building were in marginal condition.  Window sills, for example, were removed and rebuilt, partially to maintain the original materials and also to save on cost.