Restoring this historic building and converting it into the home of a new restaurant required creative thinking and some innovative design engineering. Formerly the home of First National Bank of New Hampshire, this building was constructed in 1803 after one of the great fires of Portsmouth. The building, which was considered the oldest bank building in the US, consists of two structures and houses three vaults on the main levels. In 2009, the structures were united and converted into a new Portsmouth location for Ri Ra Irish Pub, a popular Irish-themed restaurant chain.
Renovation of the building for the Ri Ra required removal on one vault to make room for the new kitchen. With the vault constructed within boxes comprised of brick (outermost box), rail steel, 18-inch thick granite slabs, and three inches of riveted steel (innermost box), this was no small feat. Working with the architect, contractor, and building owner, Summit Engineering provided the design engineering of the new floor system, new mezzanine framing, and framed openings in the two foot thick masonry walls between the two structures.
The Team had a blast on this year's staff fishing outing!
Summit Engineering was named as an award winner for the 2019 Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards given by the National Cou
Harbor Way Ship Sculpture, 121 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, MA BACKGROUND In May of 2016 a portion of a ship’s hull was disco
Summit Engineering receives 2018 Structural Engineers of New Hampshire Excellence in Structural Engineering Award in the building
Northeastern University – Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Complex - Spiral Stair Summit Engineering was contracte
On May 12th, the Portsmouth School Board honored the Pi Day contest winners in the third, fourth, and fifth grades at each of the
Summit Engineering was well represented at a recent national engineering event known as The 2014 Structures Congress held in Bosto
The local school board earlier this month honored a handful of students who competed in and won a one-of-a-kind educational event
Summit Principal Tony Coviello was interviewed this week for the Journal of Light Construction. In the article, Coviello
Structural engineering staff from Summit Engineering in Portsmouth, NH traveled to the Jersey Shore this month, where they joined
Robert Champagne, principal of Summit Engineering, says that the best way to prevent a roof collapse from snow is to be proactive.
Structural Engineers Explain Roof Load Dangers Structural Engineers at Summit Engineering, are cautioning homeowners throughout Ne
NH Engineering Firm Finds Redevelopment Potential All Over Portsmouth As one of the local engineering companies in th
Developers all throughout New Hampshire are bringing forth various dynamic development opportunities complete with quality archite
At Summit Engineering, besides typical Structural Engineering, we also find ourselves investigating problems in existing building
Brick Engineering - Common Challenges and How To Fix Them. Brick masonry is a ubiquitous building material—it has been around f
What To Know When Building in Flood Insurance Zones The recent release of preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) by the Fe
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently released the preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) for the Seacoa
As one of the original 13 states, New Hampshire most certainly has its fair share of historic property. From the working waterfro
Examples of historic building preservation are all around us — especially in a place as historically rich as New England