WITH AN INTRIGUING PAST AND ARCHITECTURAL PEDIGREE,
THE LIBERTY HOTEL CAPTIVATES BOSTON
Opening on September 5, the 300-room hotel is housed within the nationally landmarked Charles Street Jail with sweeping views of the Charles River and Boston’s skyline
Boston (September 5, 2007) – In the realm of hotel architecture, it is hard to imagine a more original design scenario than a hotel carved out of an iconic 19th century jail. But when the city is one as passionate about history as Boston and the structure is none other than the storied Charles Street Jail, the vision of Boston developer Richard L. Friedman comes sharply into focus. Following an extensive restoration, the National Historic Landmark building will become one of the country’s most stunning and inspired “reuse” developments, debuting today as The Liberty Hotel. The $150-million luxury showplace sits at the foot of Boston’s posh Beacon Hill neighborhood overlooking the Charles River.
“The building’s five-year transformation from a jail closed by federal court order as being unfit for prisoners into Boston’s best luxury hotel is a remarkable story of commitment and persistence,” said Friedman. “In this era of ‘eco-friendly’ buildings and smart recycling, it is, without question, the country’s most imaginative adaptive reuse project.”
Completed in 1851, the building was a collaboration between architect Gridley James Fox Bryant, widely considered Boston’s most accomplished architect of the time, and Rev. Louis Dwight, a prominent Yale-educated penologist whose travels shaped his interest in and advocacy for prison reform. Thought to be one of the best examples of the “Boston Granite Style” of the mid-19th century, the building, hidden from public view for 150 years behind high brick walls and barbed wire, “resonated with a strength and dignity appropriate for the era and for Bostonians’ sensibilities,” said later historians.
Turning a Vision into Reality
The transformation of the site and its $150 million price tag was equity financed by Friedman’s Carpenter & Company, Inc. and Seattle-based Kennedy Associates, a highly-respected pension fund investor and experienced hotel financier, with debt provided by Deutsche Bank and San Diego National Bank. “We love innovative hotel projects in top markets,” said Kennedy Associates senior vice president, Jack vanHartesvelt. “And unlike an ordinary financial investor, we provided development as well as artistic input in addition to our funding. The Liberty Hotel is a project of great pride to us and our union pension fund investors.”
Success also hinged on support from Boston’s Mayor Menino and some $15 million in tax credits approved from the Massachusetts Historical Commission headed by Secretary of State William Galvin and numerous United States Park Service officials. “This is a remarkable rebirth,” says Friedman. “In every way, we sought to reflect and honor the rich and varied history of this building and make it a relevant extension of the Beacon Hill neighborhood. We collectively made it happen, but it wasn’t an easy road.”
The project architect, Gary Johnson of Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc. and consulting historic preservation architect Pamela W. Hawkes, FAIA, of Ann Beha Architects, Inc., worked in tandem with historians and conservationists from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the Boston Landmarks Commission, the National Park Service and the Boston Redevelopment Authority. General contractor Suffolk Construction took on the challenging task of ensuring the end result reflects the design standards set forth by these many players and the overall goal of creating a careful balance between preservation and dynamic new use.
Drawn to the building’s dramatic spatial qualities, the team tapped Bryant’s original architectural drawings to ensure adherence to his creative vision for the cruciform-shaped building, which was an international model for prison architecture in the second half of the 19th century. The structure is an octagonal Quincy granite central building featuring four circular wood “ocular” windows and four radiating wings, each with large three-story arched windows highlighted by articulated wedge-shaped, stone “voussoirs” characteristic of French design. At the time, the windows were thought to yield light “four times as great as that in any prison yet constructed.”
Bryant had initially drafted a dramatic cupola, designed to bring further light and air into the rotunda. Unfortunately, it was a focal point that, at the time of the building’s construction, was reduced in size to save money. In 1949, it was removed altogether. In one of many restoration decisions, the cupola was painstakingly rebuilt based on Bryant’s original design.
Apart from this addition, the jail’s exterior and expansive, light-filled interiors remain largely unchanged. Soaring 90 feet, the jail’s central rotunda was faithfully preserved and forms the lobby and public spaces of the hotel. It features the building’s trademark windows and historic catwalks. “Despite an overall modernization, many remnants of the landmark jail have been maintained to safeguard authenticity,” says Johnson. A formerly vacant yard is now a beautifully landscaped courtyard that is destined to take its place among the beloved “hidden gardens” of the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
“Our intent was to create a quintessential Boston hotel inside a true landmark,” says interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud, who was tasked with infusing the hotel with a distinctive personality that honors the building’s rich history while imparting contemporary vibrancy. To that end, in a modern counterpoint to the building’s exterior, the hotel’s stylish reception desk is crafted of ebonized wood with lacquered stenciled patterns reminiscent of 1850’s embroidery work; carpets recall the old-fashioned crewel work of New England, enlarged and contemporized; and American colonial prints are enlarged and shaded in historic colors such as maroon, grey and purple, creating an updated take on a traditional look. Finally, exposed brick walls and four striking wrought iron chandeliers add visual interest to the lobby while underscoring a commitment to historic and understated materials.
A Playful Nod to a Penal Past
While the developers’ approach to preservation reflects a passionate commitment to authenticity, a more playful attitude defines its day-to-day style. As guests enter the building at street level, they are directed from a vestibule up an escalator to the rotunda and reception levels. In the central embankment between the escalators is a specially commissioned mosaic by artist Coral Bourgeois of multi-textured tiles depicting historical scenes, allusions and personalities from penitentiaries and true life crimes.
Whimsical suggestions to the building’s former life abound, including hotel room “do not disturb” door hangers wisely worded “Solitary.” ALIBI, the first floor bar, is housed within the jail’s former “drunk tank.” It has restored cell blocks with original iron-bar doors and blue stone flooring. Likewise, off of the rotunda is CLINK. restaurant and bar, where wait staff wear uniforms featuring hand-stenciled “prison” numbers representing the opening, “1851,” and rebirth, “2007,” dates of the structure.
Trading Legendary Inmates for Luxury Hotel Guests
Once home to dozens of Boston’s legendary inmates (including the 1904 incarceration of then Boston Mayor James Michael Curley and Frank Abagnale Jr., the noted forgerer portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in “Catch Me if You Can”), now the building will be home to a more appreciative audience. Within the historic building itself, there are 18 brick-walled guest rooms, as well as meeting rooms, a grand ballroom and a restaurant and bar. For the curious, a restored jail cell façade with a catwalk above features the history of the building on etched glass panels. Across the courtyard garden, a new 16-story tower houses 280 guest rooms. Clad in materials such as glass and iron spot brick, the tower’s strikingly contemporary design reflects the kind of distinct contrast strongly favored by the preservation community and the National Park Service. Its crystalline glass corner provides “a sense of transparency and reflectivity” appropriate to the heavy granite of the jail, notes Johnson.
Graciously appointed in tones of pale rose and taupe, accented with rich mahogany woods and touches of stainless steel, the hotel’s 300 guest rooms range in size from 400- to 800-square feet and feature luxurious imported bedding, floor to ceiling windows (many affording unparalleled views looking westward up the Charles River), flat panel HD-LCD televisions, private bar, and two VOIP telephones. Four-fixture bathrooms feature plush bathrobes and eco-friendly Molton Brown bath and body care products. The hotel’s one-bedroom “Escape” suites have a master bedroom with king bed, one and a half bathrooms and separate living and dining areas with Beacon Hill and Charles River views.
The Liberty’s 2,200-square-foot Presidential Suite features a master bedroom with a king bed, separate living room, dining room and butler pantry, a library, master bathroom and balcony. Its 305-square-foot terrace affords extraordinary views of the Charles River, Cambridge and Boston.
Concierge service, valet parking, same-day dry cleaning and laundry, evening turn-down and overnight shoe shine are among the hotel’s thoughtfully designed services and amenities. Guests also have access to a well-equipped health and fitness center, open 24/7. In line with the hotel’s commitment to technology and luxury service, the fitness center will have a Koko Smartrainer® available for personalized fitness programs. Koko is an all-in-one strength-training and cardio machine designed to develop and track individual work-outs with a “koko key” that contains a digital record of one’s exercise regime. The Liberty Hotel is the first U.S. hotel to offer Koko.
A Step above Standard-Issue Prison Fare
Under the direction of the hotel’s well-traveled executive chef, Michael A. Goodman, the Liberty Hotel has three distinctive venues for dining, each taking a creative, convivial approach. CLINK. bar and restaurant, located on the lobby level, serves regional specialties and imaginative cocktails such as Silky Anteater and Mumbai Express.
A self-described “seeker” and practicing Buddhist, Goodman strives to make his cuisine reflective of his travels throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Before joining The Liberty, Goodman was executive chef of the five-star Amandari in Bali and Napa in Dubai, where his cuisine was lauded in Travel + Leisure magazine. The resulting repertoire of eastern cooking techniques, exotic dishes and cultural knowledge is evident in his “grazing-encouraged” menus, which include espresso braised short ribs; foie gras and sour plum tartine; and duck confit flatbread. In-room dining is available 24 hours a day.
Renowned nightclub and restaurant owner, Patrick Lyons, will operate a sensual ground floor bar, “Alibi,” in an old cell block serving custom cocktails.
Boston culinary legend and James Beard Award-winner, Chef Lydia Shire, is opening a contemporary Italian restaurant, Scampo, later this Fall. The restaurant will be designed by Raphael Alvares.
A Captive Audience for Meetings
With an eye toward modern functionality, the hotel’s 6,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space features up-to-the-minute technology, natural light in virtually every room, high-speed Internet access and embedded audio visual technology. The ballroom can accommodate up to 200 for formal dinners or 350 for receptions. Other Liberty meeting rooms range from 415- to 1,050-square feet, accommodating groups of ten to 120. The hotel’s public rooms tap historic colors and patterns reflected in wall coverings, bold carpet designs and vintage wall sconces and chandeliers. In rich hues of purple and yellow, the geometric patterns draw from traditional New England window panes and door friezes to create spaces that are both lively and unassuming. A full-service business center and wireless data connections in public areas ensure that off-site business is conducted with speed and consistency.
About The Liberty Hotel
Located in the heart of Boston’s Beacon Hill neighborhood, The Liberty Hotel is near the world’s best medical complex, posh shopping boutiques along quaint Charles Street, the City’s financial district and technology centers in Cambridge. The property, which offers sweeping views of the Charles River, is the imaginative adaptation of the storied Charles Street Jail into a 300-room luxury hotel with three distinct dining venues and 6,000 square feet of meeting space. A National Historic Landmark and architectural gem built in 1851, the hotel incorporates its history, exceptional service and the latest in modern technology to create an unrivaled guest experience.
The Liberty Hotel is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, www.lhw.com. For reservations and more information, call (617) 224-4000 or (866) 507-5245, or log on at www.libertyhotel.com.
About MTM Luxury Lodging
The Liberty Hotel is managed by MTM Luxury Lodging as part of a collection of properties including Hotel 1000 in Seattle, Washington; Ivy Hotel in San Diego, California; Willows Lodge in Woodinville, Washington; and Woodmark Hotel, Spa and Yacht Club in Kirkland, Washington. MTM specializes in managing luxury, independent hotels, inns, and resorts. The properties are defined by exciting locations, cutting-edge design and superior service; each offering the quality and appeal expected by discerning, affluent business and leisure travelers. Without exception, MTM managed hotels are the very best in the markets they serve. www.mtmluxurylodging.com.