Bellevue Hotel Restoration of Façade

The Bellevue Hotel, located in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a 19-story hotel originally constructed in 1904 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The building structure consists of a steel frame encased in concrete. The exterior walls are constructed primarily of terra cotta with a multi-wythe clay brick masonry backup. The terra cotta contains numerous ornamental elements throughout all four building elevations, particularly at the 15th-floor water table and the rooftop dormers. The exterior walls at the base of the building are clad with limestone on the first and second floors. Ornamental wrought iron railings are located at balconies and as decorative false railings at upper-level windows. The roofline varies throughout the building, with the roof consisting of a combination of flat, arched, and mansard roofs. 

WGI performed a condition survey of the exterior walls to review the façade components’ condition and make recommendations for their repair and maintenance. Our review focused on identifying deterioration and damage to the roof, terra cotta, limestone, windows, decorative metal, and balconies. WGI produced a report complete with findings, conclusions, restoration recommendations, and an opinion of the probable repair cost.