Located in Merced, CA, the Tioga Hotel was constructed in 1928. It is the largest building in Merced and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Throughout the hotel’s lifespan, it hosted many celebrities and was also used as office space during World War II. After the war, it was returned to its former prominence for some time, but the building eventually became unoccupied and in a state of disrepair. A new owner purchased the property with the intention of repairing the structure and converting the space into apartments.

PULLMAN was engaged in the early stages of this adaptive reuse project by working closely with the Historic Architect to provide inspection support, mock-ups, and budgeting support. In addition, a part of the overall repair project included restoring the wood windows at the mezzanine level and repairing the travertine and marble floor in the lobby. As one of the few local contractors in the area with experience in historical and wood window restoration, PULLMAN completed the repairs.

The scope for restoring 71 wood windows at mezzanine level included removing peeling paint, dutchman repairs, wood patching/crack repairs with epoxy, applying wood preservative, replacing unsound glazing putty, removing and replacing broken glass, and installing hardware. Repairs to the stone floor in the lobby included repairing color-matched polyester to chips and cracks, installing new grout, resurfacing, and cleaning stone sealer to the entire area.

Despite some access challenges with multiple contractors on site addressing the other repairs, the team was able to work out a schedule to complete the project on time, under budget, and with no safety or quality incidents. This project transformed the traditional Renaissance-style structure into a mixed-use residential building with retail space on ground floor.