The Orcas Hotel is located in the remote San Juan Islands. The hotel, which was built in 1904, earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

In 2002, the owners asked us to rehabilitate and rearrange the inn’s existing second and third floor bedrooms to incorporate private bathrooms while retaining the inn’s historic character and architectural value. Our work began with an existing condition assessment that evaluated the hotel’s historically significant spaces, features, finishes and structure. We also evaluated options to increase ADA accessibility and energy efficiency. Our recommendations preserved the hotel’s significant architectural features, such as the proportion, styling and location of the windows, yet updated the hotel with contemporary amenities. In 2004, the hotel’s owners again hired us to rehabilitate the main floor of the hotel to accommodate a commercial kitchen, café, accessible bathrooms and front lobby. Here again our recommendations focused on preserving the hotels historically significant features, such as the main staircase, while increasing the structure’s usability, accessibility, and safety.