Connolly celebrates grand re-opening of fire damaged 35,000 s/f Eastern Yacht Club

Connolly was proud to attend the grand re-opening at the Eastern Yacht Club on June 28; just over one year after a fire severely damaged the building on the night of June 13, 2014. While the fire damage was limited to certain areas of the building, an estimated 500,000 gallons of water found its way from the attic to the ground floor, damaging everything in its path. Following the fire, Connolly assisted in the emergency clean-up process and obtained permits to partially reopen the building temporarily for the remainder of the 2014 season. The extensive rebuild and considerable improvements were scheduled to commence on November 1 as soon as the historic club's doors would close for winter. After much consideration by the Eastern Yacht Club's restoration and renovations committee, Connolly was hired to design, engineer and manage the reconstruction of the 35,000 s/f wood framed, Stick Style building. The original structure was built in the 1870s and had many additions and modifications over the years since. The building was completely gutted on the interior down to its existing framing. All of the building's mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems were removed and replaced, the building was thermally insulated and the building's ground floor structural systems underwent a massive overhaul. Old field stone foundations and failing wood load-bearing walls were replaced with concrete foundations, footings and a structural steel framing system - completely eliminating an old, failing system that was presenting the building with imminent structural problems. Because of these upgrades, the club now enjoys completely modern HVAC systems, LED lighting, modern wiring systems and completely new fire protection systems. Interestingly during the design and engineering period, the club decided to determine if it was feasible to reclaim over 3,000 s/f of open storage space under its famous Samoset Porch. After much design work and budgeting assistance from Connolly, the club moved forward with the creation of a new sailing center. This re-purposed area will serve as a multipurpose function room housing the sailing office, a new bar, members' locker rooms and a children's camp area. This significant and impressive project is just one of several Connolly/Eastern Yacht Club collaborations dating back to the 1940s. We at Connolly are proud of this long history with the Eastern Yacht Club - it is a perfect example of the many lasting relationships we strive to maintain with our customers. We wish the club and its members the greatest of success in their fully-restored clubhouse that retains its historic charm while being prepared for the next century.