The community welcomes the renovation and renewal of this historic property, bringing new life and vitality to the neighborhood.”

Chinatown’s historic restoration project catalyst for revitalization

Portland’s historic Mariners Building – constructed in 1881 – has been restored into a boutique hotel situated in Old Town Chinatown. The Society Hotel is a hybrid budget hotel and hostel serving travelers with a love for history and an adventurous spirit. The four-level building has 36 private rooms and one communal room with 24 bunk beds.

The building owners relied on DCI Engineers to upgrade the 12,000-sf building to seismic compliance. The engineering team conducted lateral, gravity, foundation, and out-of-plane analyses of the existing building. A global upgrade was done with supplementary concrete cast-in-place walls. The team designed a new elevator shaft with concrete shear wall elements; installed concrete moment frames hidden from view; and strengthened the rooftop to support a new lounge and bar.