A night in a Boston jail
I just spent an evening in jail — captivated in the 19th century Charles Street Jail in Boston that has been turned into the luxury Liberty Hotel. From a hotel standpoint the establishment is excellent, with expansive views that are the best available over the city and down the Charles River, however, I can’t shake the uneasiness of the old jail atmosphere.
Walking into the restored octagonal prison rotunda encircled with catwalks and vestiges of the old iron jail bars is unsettling, at least to me. The building’s karma is out of whack. Its Feng Shui is out of harmony. Here, a granite edifice stands as a painful historical reminder of man’s inhumanity to man — both from the point of view of the criminals who committed the crimes, to the society that housed its prisoners in shamefully shabby conditions.
It’s eerie, unsettling and chilling. The hair on the back of my neck never quite settled down even with the help of a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon at the lobby bar.
Personally, I can’t understand what socially redeeming value the preservation of this building serves for the city of Boston. Millions of tax dollars and thousands of hours of civil servant work at more than a half-dozen governmental agencies were spent to preserve this monstrosity when it would have been better to raze the structure to its tainted ground rather than turn it into an almost Disney-esque attraction.
The original flawed idea to preserve the jail was probably formed innocently enough at City Hall in the name of preservation. Caught up in the passion of preservation, no one considered the moral historic implications. The developers have only added to the ethical dissonance by their “Playful Nod to a Penal Past.” Names like Liberty Hotel, Alibi Bar (once the city’s drunk tank) and Clink Restaurant (where waiters wear hand-stenciled prison numbers) make light of the sad human drama that filled these granite walls for decades. “Do Not Disturb” doorknob hangers have been replaced with cloth tags saying “Solitary.”
That being said, from strictly a hotel viewpoint, the 16-story Liberty Hotel tower has a first-rate location and panoramas that are unmatched in Boston. Calming artwork, subdued rose and taupe colors and mahogany woodwork grace each of the guest rooms. The visual luxury of the city and the river is available from about half of the 280 tower rooms and from all of the suites. Rooms on the back of the hotel only have uninspiring views into the Massachusetts General Hospital wards and offices.
The 2,200-square-foot Presidential Suite with a large terrace affords extraordinary views of the Charles River, Cambridge and Boston. The “Escape” suites all have floor to ceiling windows with views down the river as well. If one could only enter the hotel rooms without passing through the prison walls and through the rotunda, the Liberty Hotel would be fine addition to the universe of Boston hotels.
The hotel has 24-hour concierge service, room service and a weight training and cardio fitness center. Its meeting facilities include space for groups of up to 350 with a ballroom that can seat 225 for a formal sit down dinner and smaller seminar rooms.
Only steps away are the boutiques and restaurants of trendy Charles Street and Beacon Hill. A short walk brings guests to Government Center, the Financial District and the TDBanknorth Garden where the Boston Celtics and Bruins play. The new Red Line T-stop, across the street from the main entrance, provides easy public transportation to Cambridge and rest of Boston.
Obviously, all do not share my uneasiness with the Liberty Hotel. The Alibi Bar seems to be on the way to becoming a local gathering place and the Clink Restaurant is reportedly developing a local clientele. Another new upscale restaurant, Scampo, to be run by Boston-culinary legend, Lydia Shire, opens soon in the restored space where incoming prisoners were processed upon incarceration. Time will tell.
Liberty Hotel, 215 Charles Street, Boston MA 02114
617-224-4000, fax 617-224-4001, www.libertyhotel.com
Photos courtesy Liberty Hotel.
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