Savage and Cooke Distillery – Mare Island Building 45

The unique aspect of this adaptive use project is the extent to which the existing wood framing was preserved and left exposed when the building was redesigned to house a distillery’s tasting rooms and whiskey barrel storage. Built in the 1880s, the historic naval structure—which had survived a fire and multiple earthquakes—was framed with knot-free wood joists and solid wood girders spanning its entire width. Engineers proof-loaded the existing framing to determine its capacity for the heavy whiskey barrels. They then added internal steel framing as well as a secondary gravity system along the perimeter of the unreinforced brick masonry bearing walls to improve lateral-force resistance. Supplemental wood framing was sourced from other parts of the project where wood was removed. The result is a safe building that supports the weight of its new use while celebrating the original structure. 15,300 sf/Type IIIB construction