The Liberty Hotel- Boston, MA

Completed in 1851, for most of its history Boston’s imposing Charles Street Jail was definitely a building to avoid. Designed by prolific New England architect Gridley James Fox Bryant in the Romanesque style, the brooding granite monolith housed prisoners until 1990, when was shuttered due to poor living conditions.

Purchased by Mass General Hospital in 1991, the property underwent an extensive renovation, and reemerged as a luxury hotel. The common areas, featuring a soaring 90 foot atrium, four circular ocular windows and rebuilt cupola, are striking. Many of the jail’s original features, including cells and wrought iron have been preserved, and incorporated into the hotel’s design. 

That said, the 298 room property still manages to feel vaguely generic and corporate. The lobby always seems crowded, and definitely has a tourist vibe. The comfortable rooms feel almost too incongruously modern and sterile, with all but 18 located in an adjoining tower. It is certainly an interesting reuse project however, and well worth a visit.