Donna+Scheffler

 The Charles street prison, at number 215, was always know for being the most at something: when it was first built for it's innovative architecture, for housing the worst offenders in Boston, for having the harshest conditions for the inmates, and for becoming one of the most luxurious hotels of the city, the Liberty Hotel.

 Built in 1851, by architect G. Bryant and penologist Rev. Dwight. The cross, fortress-like granite prison had an avant-garde cellblock system and great three story windows that made it legendary even in its time. Right, in the heart of Boston this jail, later became know for its harsh and difficult conditions, to the point that in 1973, with the prisons rights movements, the criminals were transfered to the new Suffolk County Jail, in 1991. This land was later acquired by it's neighbor, the Massachusetts General Hospital it was transformed into a luxurious hotel. From a place where nobody would ever want to go, to the fashionable stay in Boston. The Carpenter & Company, who was in charge of the transformation, decided to keep in the closest to the envisioned prison with original brick, the catwalk, and even some of the bars and cells, appropriately placed in the bars and restaurant. Only 18 rooms are located inside the original prison walls, and the rest 282 are within an adjacent tower, and the prisons courtyard has been converted into a peaceful garden that host yoga lessons every saturday morning. liberty+hotel+lobby.jpg