The Liberty Hotel
Boston, MA
Boston, MA
Adaptive reuse is taken to a whole new level when you talk about turning a notorious jail into a luxury hotel. The National Register Historic 1851 granite jailhouse sat obsolete for decades in a prominent site bordering the Charles River, Beacon Hill and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Abutter and landlord MGH partnered with developer, Carpenter & Company to turn the derelict neighbor into a revitalized asset.
Through restoration, reuse and reinvention, the abandoned Charles Street Jail has been transformed into a four-star luxury hotel. The hotel’s focal point is the restored jail building, a soaring space repurposed from holding cells into the hotel’s reception lobby, restaurants and ballrooms. The 16-story guest room addition integrates seamlessly with the historic structure and the overall development has changed an area that was once to be avoided into a destination where you’d be delighted to spend the night. Collaborated with Ann Beha Architects for historic architecture.
220
289
90ft
3
1949
2007
LOOP Design Awards
Preservation Massachusetts
Interior Design and HOTELS Magazine
Interior Design and HOTELS Magazine
International Masonry Institute
Wallpaper Magazine & Fortune Magazine
Boston Preservation Alliance
Massachusetts Historical Commission
National Housing & Rehabilitation Association
Victorian Society in America
Bostonian Society
Buildings Magazine
Masonry Construction Magazine
We transformed the space from a 19th century jail to a 21st century hotel – from a sorrowful building to a joyful one. In Boston in particular, due the historic fabric of the city, there is interest in maintaining existing building stock, bringing these buildings to current standards.
Gary Johnson, AIA, Principal, CambridgeSeven
It’s a pretty remarkable transformation. I don’t think anybody who spent any time here before could’ve ever imagined what it has become today.
Joseph McMaster, author, ‘The Charles Street Jail’
