Milk Factory To Destination Hotel – Adaptive Reuse Renovation

McLaren is engineering the conversion of a 140-year-old factory into a modern mixed-use destination. Once complete, The Milk Factory will provide boutique hotel, retail, restaurant, co-working, and private event space, while retaining the building’s historic structural and exterior features.

The Milk Factory’s History

The Milk Factory plays a huge part into the Wallkill River Valley’s History. In 1881, John Gail Borden, son of Gail Borden, Jr., the inventor of condensed milk, built the family empire atop a hill in the Hudson Valley, set in the rolling fields that hug the Wallkill River, among the Shawangunk Mountains and Hudson River. This was the home of his family farm, pastures, and living estates. In 1884, Borden’s New York Condensed Milk Company, now known as Borden Dairy, built its largest condensery convenitenly along Route 208. It was designed to process the milk of 5,000 cows from nearby farms in Ulster and Orange counties.

Preserving Wallkill River Valley’s History With Adaptive Reuse Engineering

Providing structural and geotechnical engineering services for this large-scale adaptive reuse renovation, McLaren’s scope spans condition assessment and feasibility study through design development and construction phase services.

Structural Engineering

To assess the existing structural conditions of the site, McLaren performed an initial site investigation. After identifying components that required stabilization, the team developed construction documents for remedial repairs and temporary bracing.

McLaren developed the design, from concept through construction documents. During the schematic design phase, our team conducted a comparative analysis of alternate framing schemes to help the client select the most appropriate and economical structural materials and systems.

Geotechnical Engineering

Geotechnical engineering work included a field investigation to evaluate the subsurface conditions and design recommendations. During the field investigation, McLaren supervised drilling onsite to obtain test borings and soil samples. Our engineers developed a geotechnical report, publishing all onsite data and laboratory test results and incorporating design recommendations for foundations.