Roof Repairs on the Hotel

Since 1994, We have performed considerable preservation efforts to both the 1908 Vale Hotel and the 1895 Grand Opera House. A beam on the Hotel Northwest wing had completely failed and the roof was caving in. The elements were only worsening the roof’s condition.

Fixing the problem also required removing the temporary tin roof, and building new trusses and structural work. Now there is a solid roof that should last for many more years. The top picture above shows the state of the Northwest roof prior to repairs. The skylights in the hotel have been removed, the roof repaired, a Temporary Jacking package was installed to hold up the structure while we got the trusses back into place. Much has been accomplished, but much more is needed to complete restoration.

Window Replacement on the Vale Hotel

Completed 2005

The above pictures show the before (left) and the after (right) of the window repair process. The Drexel H. Foundation received a grant from SHPO which paid for a portion of the replacement and repair process. This photo shows the windows on the southwest side of the building.

Above: Part of the process of replacing the windows.

These pictures show the replacement of the broken and missing windows on the north side, the side of the hotel that faces ‘A’ Street.

Before: During: After:

These pictures below show the replacement of all the exterior windows between the two wings of the Hotel. One of the unique architectural features of the building is the two wings, creating a U-shape, which allows each room to have natural light through Exterior windows. Exterior view of replacement of the windows between the two wings of the Hotel:

Before:

During:

After:

The Drexel H. Foundation received a grant from the Malheur County Cultural Trust to put up displays in two windows of the hotel. The first display was made up of three sections; one panel describing the Drexel Foundation and it’s purpose, another panel devoted to the Grand Opera Houses, and last panel that addressed the Vale Hotel and it’s history. This window Display was finished in the summer of 2005.

(From top to bottom: before work on displays, a temporary display, Work on the general information Display, The first display complete)

The second window display explored artists from this area, showing off their work and their backgrounds.

The purpose of this display was to raise awareness for local cultural opportunities and also give some attention to local artists. This display was finished winter of 2005.

(From left to right: Finished Artist’s Display, close-up, work being done on display, windows before displays, both displays finished.)

A beam in the northwest wing of the Vale Hotel failed due to leaking skylights. First the beam was stabilized with wood and a later a jacking package was installed to jack the building back into place until a more permanent solution was available. In the winter of 2005, the beam was replaced with a steel beam and the building has been stabilized, the Hotel being saved. There were four beam sections that had to be placed into pockets, and the beams were moved with chain, hoists and come-alongs with muscle strength.