Visitation Hotel – Trial By Fire: Structural Engineering Challenges in a Historic Hotel Conversion

Presented by: 

Chelci E. Dell, P.E., Senior Consulting Engineer

Jeffrey D. Viano,  Senior Project Manager

Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, Inc.

About the Presentation:

The Visitation Academy, a pre-Civil War building in Frederick, Maryland, was originally an all-girls Roman Catholic boarding school. The school closed in 2016  and recently underwent an adaptive re-use renovation into a The Visitation Hotel. This presentation will give an overview of the adaptive reuse project including the complexities that arose from unforeseen conditions. Additionally, late in construction, a fire significantly damaged a large portion of the building, particularly the roof. The fire necessitated a rapid, detailed assessment of the residual capacity of the wood framing. Ultimately, some of damaged structural elements were retained to brace the walls while others were replaced. The project team incorporated new metal plate connected wood trusses for the roof while maintaining the load paths of the original construction.  

About the Speakers:

Chelci E. Dell is a Senior Consulting Engineer in the Washington, DC office of Simpson Gumpertz & Heger. Her work focuses primarily on new structural design and adaptive reuse of structures. Ms. Dell holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Civil Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and A Masters of Science degree in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

Jeffrey D. Viano is a Senior Project Manager at SGH and possesses a keen understanding of various construction materials including reinforced and prestressed concrete, steel, masonry, and wood. He focuses on the evaluation, analysis, repair, and investigation of existing structures. Mr. Viano holds Bachelors and Masters degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.