Ames Hotel Boston Building: Rockwell Group

Ames Hotel, Boston Downtown Building, MA Accommodation Project, Photos, Design, Property Images

Ames Hotel Boston Accommodation

Ames Hotel Boston Building design by the Rockwell Group: Massachusetts Architecture Information

Feb 23, 2010

Ames Hotel Development Boston

AMES HOTEL WILL BE A FRESH AND SLEEK ADDITION TO THE BOSTON HOSPITALITY SCENE

Location: Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

Design: Rockwell Group

Rockwell Group Infuses Historic Building with Sophistication and Glamor, in Collaboration with the Morgans Hotel Group Design Team

Ames Hotel Boston Building interior

The new Ames Hotel in Boston by the Morgans Hotel Group opens for business this coming autumn in one of the most coveted areas of downtown Boston. Designed by New York-based architect and designer David Rockwell of Rockwell Group in collaboration with the Morgans design team, the hotel is a 19th century historic building that has been imaginatively reworked by Rockwell Group to blend and contrast the old and the new in 113 modern-style rooms and dramatic public spaces. With the project, Rockwell Group intends to bring a fresh and theatrical experience to the hospitality sector in Boston.

Ames Hotel Boston Building interior

On the edge of the Theatre and Financial districts, and surrounded by famous Boston landscaped gardens, the new Ames hotel boldly reacts to the lively cityscape surrounding it, while providing a really special and thoughtful interior that brings together the significant historical and cultural context of the building and a sophisticated, glamorous boutique-style environment.

Ames Hotel Boston Building interior

Rockwell Group, with the help of the Morgans Hotel Group design team, has skillfully preserved stunning original fixtures such as the dramatic marble and brass feature staircase, the mosaic tile vaulted ceiling in the lobby and the intricately carved facade, while selectively creating a refreshed, cutting edge intimacy in the guest rooms and public spaces. A focused attention to detail along with a sense of narrative continuity was kept throughout the entire hotel offering a consistent yet theatrical finish.

The historic nature of the building allowed Rockwell Group to play with crafted features and modern twists on older designs. Scattered around the lobby are original site specific installations site specific installations such as the one that features thousands of reflective discs suspended over the floor on wires, and a ceramic wall art work made up of many layers of hand cast porcelain tiles to create the effect of a ridge behind the reception area.

Ames Hotel Boston Building interior

Off of the lobby the two story hotel restaurant is also a contrast of eras, merging the historical context with a touch of the modern day dandy. Each floor features a main bar as well as a formal dining area, with finishes inspired by bespoke men’s tailoring with subtle unexpected details. The main feature of the restaurant is the “cabinet of curiosities” on the second floor displaying over 200 found objects relating to agriculture, a nod to the Ames family history.

Ames Hotel Boston Building interior

David Rockwell, Founder and CEO of Rockwell Group, explained: “We really wanted our design to reflect a contrast of eras, where the historical context and Ames family history would merge with a modern framework to bring a fresh, new experience to the hospitality market in Boston.”

The 14-story hotel will include 120 guest rooms, a ground-floor restaurant, a second-floor lounge and private dining rooms, and a fitness center.

Ames Hotel Boston Building interior

Ames Hotel Boston – Building Information

Design: Rockwell Group
Use: Hotel & Restaurant
Location: One Court Street, Boston, MA
Square Feet: 70,000 SF
No. of Guest Rooms: 120
Client: Normandy Partners and Morgans Hotel Group
Completion Date: Fall 2009
Services Provided: Interior Design, Custom Furniture and Fixture Design
Photos: Morgans Hotel Group

Background: The new Ames Hotel will be Rockwell Group’s first hotel project in Boston. The boutique hotel will occupy the historic Ames Building, a historic office building which was built in the late 19th century, and was the tallest building in Boston when it was completed. The hotel sits along the Washington Mall at One Court Street and is located on the edge of the Financial District, the Downtown Crossing shopping district and Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The 14-story hotel will include 120 guest rooms, a ground-floor restaurant, a second-floor lounge and private dining rooms, and a fitness center. Construction began in September 2007 and the hotel will open in the fall of 2009, bringing a fresh and new experience to the hospitality market in Boston.

Design Concept: Although the design for the all-new interior of the space will pay homage to the original Romanesque-Byzantine exterior, Rockwell Group will provide a modern framework for the 120 renovated guest rooms, a lobby, and restaurant. Original elements will be re-interpreted to complement the elegant and innovative new design. The concept of Metropolis, of industrialization and modernization, informed the role played by the Ames family in the shaping of the American Railroad and the architectural landscape of Boston itself. The same concept will be extended to shape the building’s guest and public spaces.

Design Details: The lobby will feature an original marble mosaic tile vaulted ceiling. Letting the old inform the new, the old doorknob designs will be etched on the elevator doors. Scattered around the lobby are original art works such an exploded chandelier of thousands of reflective discs suspended over the floor on wires, and a ceramic wall installation by Pascale Girardin made up of many layers of hand cast porcelain tiles to create the effect of a ridge behind the reception area.

Off of the lobby the two story hotel restaurant is also a contrast of eras, merging the historical context with a touch of the modern day dandy. Each floor will feature a main bar as well as a formal dining area, with finishes inspired by bespoke men’s tailoring with subtle unexpected details. The main feature of the restaurant is the “cabinet of curiosities” on the second floor displaying over 200 found objects relating to agriculture, a nod to the Ames family history.

Ames Hotel Boston images / information Rockwell Group

Aug 9, 2017
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photo courtesy of architects
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Renovation & redesign of the 1893, Ames Boston Hotel (and the restaurant inside, Cultivar) taking the building’s original architecture and redesigning it to merge the past, present and future.

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