Completed in 1851, the Charles Street Jail was designed by architect Gridley James Fox Bryant and prison reformer Rev. Louis Dwight. For more than a century, it operated as Suffolk County’s jail, housing inmates including Malcolm X, John White Webster, James Michael Curley, Josephine Collins, and Frances Fowler.
By 1973, a federal court had found the jail unfit and in violation of inmates’ constitutional rights. The final prisoners were transferred over Memorial Day weekend in 1990, ending the building’s run as a working jail.
Massachusetts General Hospital acquired the obsolete property in 1991 and required that significant historic elements be preserved in any redevelopment. Carpenter & Company became the developer in 2001, and the site reopened in 2007 as The Liberty Hotel after a major transformation that added a contemporary 16-story tower beside the restored jail.
What remains of the past
The renovation did not erase the building’s history—it made it part of the experience. The hotel preserved the original facade, arched windows, exposed brick, catwalks, and the dramatic central rotunda that now anchors the lobby.
The Liberty now has 298 rooms, with a portion located inside the original jail structure. Guests can also explore the property’s penitentiary past through the hotel’s history-focused offerings and design details.
Where to eat
The hotel’s dining venues embrace its former life without feeling like a gimmick. CLINK. is set among the jail’s historic cells and serves modern American cuisine beneath the original catwalks, while Scampo offers Italian-inspired dining in the hotel’s contemporary space.
A piece of Boston civic history
The Liberty remains a rare example of adaptive reuse in Boston: a difficult piece of civic history transformed into a destination rather than demolished. Its preservation earned recognition from historic and planning organizations, and the hotel continues to draw visitors for its architecture, Beacon Hill location, and river-adjacent setting.
In 2026, the hotel was ranked No. 7 in Boston in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, a sign that its unusual backstory still resonates with travelers nearly 20 years after it opened.
Visit the jail turned hotel
The Liberty, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Boston
215 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114
The hotel sits near the Charles River Esplanade and Charles Street’s shops and cafes, making it an easy base for exploring Beacon Hill.
