Factors related to the closing of the original Ocean House included its lack of modern amenities , its dilapidated condition , and its non-compliance with current building codes . The original Ocean House operated seasonally , open roughly three months a year , and the building lacked a heating , air conditioning , and ventilation system . In the last years of its operation , the top two floors were unused and only 59 rooms were serviceable out of its original 159 . The aging facility lacked requisite amenities , service functions , egress requirements , handicapped accessibility requirements , and parking to meet modern codes . A newspaper article described its final condition : " Grand staircases lead nowhere . Rainwater seeps through the walls and runs down wired-in-place gutters . The oak elevator is broken . " The 138 year-old building was non-compliant with current building and life safety codes . Its timber structure had been compromised by indiscriminate installation of electric , gas , and plumbing utilities , as well as a subsequent reconfiguration of rooms to include private bathrooms . Rhode Island 's fire codes were revised and more rigorously enforced after the 2003 Station nightclub fire , rendering the deficiencies insurmountable at Ocean House . Compliance with current life-safety standards , including those for hurricane and wind protection , required installation of interior structural shear walls , new hurricane-rated windows with new frames , a new concrete foundation with steel tie-downs throughout , stripping off all interior and exterior lead paint , and removal of interior mold requiring demolition of interior finishes
Station nightclub fire
The Station nightclub fire
Ocean House, Rhode Island