The Cambria Hotel Boston Somerville, designed by CambridgeSeven, is an upscale hotel strategically located between the cultural hubs of Cambridge and Somerville. The hotel features a rhythmic façade with a sawtooth-shaped exterior made from high-density laminated wood panels and a high-performance glazing system. This design provides oblique views along Somerville Avenue and integrates into the urban context.The hotel is situated close to the sidewalk and bike lanes, enhancing the streetscape and connecting the neighborhoods of Cambridge and Somerville. Inside, the hotel includes a local restaurant, a lobby and lounge for co-working, game and fitness rooms, and guest rooms with urban views.This architectural design reflects the local heritage and culture of Somerville.&nbsp;

Cambria Hotel, Somerville

Celebrating the outstanding achievements and legacy of NBA and the game of Basketball around the world, CambridgeSeven served as the Master Planner, Architect and Exhibit Designer for the exciting renovation and re-imagining of the iconic Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. The project unfolded over three phases culminating in a grand re-opening in May of 2021. The team was inspired by the dramatic architecture featuring the central domed space, the circular floor plan as well as the game itself. Fast, sweeping, athletic and dynamic, all apt terms for the sport of basketball, were concepts that guided and influenced the design response. Beginning with the dynamic new Tip-Off Pavilion exhibit in the main lobby that celebrates stars of the game with unique, interactive lockers, to the exciting, updated Nike Theater. Visitors are guided on an immersive journey through the evolution of the game that begins with the dramatic views of Centre Court from the mezzanine gallery. The journey continues with increased energy as the narrative of the game unfolds in galleries that feature engaging interactives and powerful stories of those who have made the game an international obsession. The journey culminates in the Hall of Honor &ndash; a sacred space that celebrates the most influential participants of the game, honoring Hall of Famers&mdash;leaving visitors with an emotional, lasting memory. The revitalized Basketball Hall of Fame serves as a place of pride for the community &ndash; offering expanded public programming and a place of gathering for functions, events, fundraisers and most of all a celebration for the sport that began right around the corner. 

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

 Located in Levi`s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the Museum has 11 multi-media gallery and interactive exhibit areas, including the Hall of Fame exhibit, coach Bill Walsh`s office, and the gallery showcasing the five Lombardi Trophies and Super Bowl rings. Joe Montana`s famous 1982 play, known as &ldquo;The Catch,&rdquo; inspired the Heritage Gallery`s spiral circulation and the curved allows throughout the space. The Museum also includes the Denise DeBartolo York Education Center, an interactive and flexible classroom facility supporting the team`s pioneering commitment to STEAM learning concepts. 

San Francisco 49ers Museum

One Dalton rises at the crossroads of two Boston neighborhoods: Back Bay, with its tree-lined streets of nineteenth-century townhouses, and the western end of the city`s commercial High Spine that consists of Boston`s largest-scale buildings. A new glass tower, in a city dominated by a redbrick aesthetic, is an opportunity to stand out while respectfully fitting in. The dominant design idea governing New England`s tallest residential tower was that it be graceful, sculptural and site appropriate. While the gently curved tower form rises with its High Spine neighbors, the podium reflects its lower register neighbors by rising only to the height of nearby townhouses. The tower`s base is comprised of local granite and articulated with punched windows while the tower rises as an all-glass facade. The equilateral triangle shape maximizes the available site while the three corners are gently reshaped with curves, creating more habitable, inviting space on the 61 floors and a more welcoming profile on the ground. The tower`s residential portion, above floor 23, is shaped by incisions on the surface, offering views in two directions from every room and allowing for operable windows&mdash;a rarity in tall buildings. The lower, hotel portion, remains a taut glass envelope following the curvilinear shape of the soft triangle.  At street level, the granite-sheathed podium is proportioned to be a good neighbor to the surrounding buildings, creating a pedestrian-friendly access to public spaces. The envelope contrast articulates the internal elements while giving the tower its distinct character.       The tower is designed to provide residents and guests with extraordinary views. Residential units are arranged to afford owners 180-degree, uninterrupted views to Boston Harbor Islands, Olmsted`s Emerald Necklace, the Charles River, and the verdant suburbs beyond, infusing the occupant experience with a connection to the natural world. 

Four Seasons, One Dalton

CambridgeSeven worked with the Museum of Science to develop a new masterplan and wayfinding system centered around the multi-story lobby and Charles River Gallery. The renovated lobby acts as an advanced organizer and portal to the different worlds of the museum which are noted by a color-coded system; the Blue Wing houses physical science galleries, the Green Wing houses galleries of the world`s natural wonders, and the Red Wing takes visitors on explorations of other worlds and space. Reorganizing the lobby helped to reclaim wasted space and make room for the &ldquo;Charles River Gallery.&rdquo; At the heart of the museum, this gallery grounded MOS on the river outside, and used it as an example of how nature and design interact. These exhibits highlight the local ecologies of the river and help introduce visitors to Boston`s natural environment.

Museum of Science Lobby & Charles River Gallery

The Williams College Bookstore is designed to animate and invigorate Spring Street, the main thoroughfare in town, welcoming the community and the college into this dynamic and inviting new retail venue. The first two levels feature trade books, magazines, text books, clothing, giftware and a third wave coffee shop while the third level houses 5,000 square feet of leased office space. The Bookstore is a place for retail activity and social engagement, offering a variety of programming, including author readings, book signings, children`s activities, and community meetings. Carefully designed to respect the established cadence of buildings along the street, the scale and massing continues the tradition of three-to-fivestory commercial properties on Spring Street. The footprint occupies approximately half of the overall site and allows for generous green open space, an outdoor seating terrace and areas for vehicular off site loading. Brick exterior and wood siding, infused with a twenty-first century vibe, recalls the traditions of vernacular materials along Spring Street. Celebrating the corner through the careful cant of the fa&ccedil;ade, the design builds a rhythm of natural materials and scale of openings. The Bookstore is a 15,000 sf contemporary building that faces the future, while respecting local heritage and infusing new vitality to Williamstown. The building is LEED Platinum Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. 

Williams College Bookstore

 In 1976, to commemorate the Bicentennial Boston proposed creating a multimedia snapshot of the city. Originally proposed for the Waterfront, this state-of-the-art presentation was installed in a pneumatic tent on the Prudential Center Plaza. The exhibition also contained a series of displays of some of the most innovative inventions that occurred in the City. 

Prudential Center Plaza

Where's Boston?

Fred Brink shares his experience working on the 'Where's Boston?' exhibition during the bicentennial years in Boston.

The Mayor Sheila Doyle Russell Youth and Community Center provides athletic and educational spaces for teen and pre-teen after-school programs as well as a dedicated space for veterans. The building acts as a gateway to Cambridge, yet maintains the scale of the residential buildings along Huron Avenue. The 30,000 sf LEED Silver facility is a sculptural expression that uses sustainable materials and forms to express the playful nature of the building program. The youth center has a dance studio, gym, teaching kitchen, and classrooms.

West Cambridge Youth and Community Center

 The Osaka Aquarium is located at the edge of Osaka`s Harbor, in combination with a festival marketplace, also designed by CambridgeSeven. The exhibit content of the aquarium presents the vast Pacific using the powerful organizing metaphor of the Ring of Fire &mdash; a linear zone of volcanic and tectonic activity outlining the Pacific Basin, corresponding to rich habitats and communities of animals. Visitors to the aquarium follow a clockwise and downward spiral, through habitats from different climatic zones along the Ring of Fire: Japan, Alaska`s Aleutian Islands, California`s coast, Ecuador and the Coast of Chile, Antarctica, New Zealand, and Australia. As visitors descend through the 286,000 sf, 2.9 million gallon aquarium, they view each exhibit from levels above the water`s surface and below &mdash; where the walkway becomes a tunnel through water held back by clear acrylic walls. The core of the aquarium, around which visitors move is a vast tank hosting a variety of species of fish of the mid-Pacific. The biogeographical plan of the building, with the Aleutians to the north, Antarctica to the south, and so on, allows the building concept to be clearly understood by its visitors. Blue exterior walls and red glass roof forms, crowned by glass skylights, further express the Ring of Fire. 

Ring of Fire Aquarium

Architectural Record praised the nation`s first fresh water aquarium as a "cathedral of conservation." This dramatic aquarium on the river in downtown Chattanooga focuses on the ecology and biological diversity of the Tennessee River, from its origins in the Appalachian Mountains to its outlet in the Mississippi Delta of Louisiana. This is the first major aquarium to focus on the habitats and life of America`s inland waters. The aquarium was conceived, sited and designed to be a catalyst of downtown waterfront redevelopment, and is the focal attraction at Ross`s Landing, a mixed-use complex master planned by CambridgeSeven. Glass pyramids at the top of the building reveal glimpses of wild habitats within. The aquarium`s exhibit content features a multi-level river otter exhibit as well as freshwater habitats with three major exhibits; a mountain cove forest with a trout stream, a &ldquo;lake&rdquo; section of the river between dams near Chattanooga, and a cypress swamp of the Mississippi Delta. A fourth area displays animals and habitats of other rivers of the world. The aquarium features magnificent views of the Tennessee River, flowing by the building. An outdoor plaza and park provide varied gathering spaces for visitors and residents. The exhibit has proved to be a profound economic redevelopment catalyst for the region.

Tennessee Aquarium

 The National Aquarium was a key component in Baltimore's Inner Harbor redevelopment project, spearheaded by Mayor William Donald Schaefer and Commissioner of Housing Robert Embry in the mid-1970s. The Aquarium, designed by Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc., opened in 1981. 

National Aquarium

 In the 1970s, an empty lot sat at the corner of JFK Street and Memorial Drive overlooking the Charles River in Cambridge's Harvard Square. The sweeping water views and prime location the land offered attracted none other than the estate of President John F. Kennedy, which selected the site for his Presidential Library. As the time for building the institution drew near, however, residents of Harvard Square questioned the potential commercialism that such a development would bring to their neighborhood. In the 1980s, commercial real estate firm Carpenter &amp; Company understood the challenge posed by the neighborhood, but was able to appease all parties with an upscale hotel where visitors and locals alike could gather for good food and world class service. Cambridge Seven Associates drew inspiration from the Cambridge courtyard typology to design a building that complimented the scale and character of its milieu. Over the years, Cambridge Seven has continued to update the original architecture, most recently adding the new spa, Corbu, named for the famed Modernist architect and designer Le Corbusier. 

 Kwesi Arthur @ Cambridge Seven Associates

The Charles Hotel

 Cambridge Seven Associates Stefanie Greenfield and Steven Imrich discuss the development of the Charles Square Hotel. The architects drew inspiration from the Cambridge courtyard typology to design a building that complimented the scale and character of its milieu. 

 Cambridge Seven Associates was responsible for the planning, programming, architecture, and exhibit design for this major new aquarium, the centerpiece of Expo 1998 in Lisbon, Portugal. Located on the Tagus River, the 214,000 sf aquarium is comprised of stone piers, steel masts, and cables supporting a roof of glass sheets. Inside, the Ocean&aacute;rio presents coastal habitats of the four major oceans. From each habitat, Cambridge Seven`s architectural design allows for views into the 1.22 million gallon main tank, home to pelagic species and schooling fishes. On the second floor, the underwater portions of the habitats visually merge with the waters of the central tank, giving visitors the illusion of seeing a single vast ocean. 

Oceanario de Lisboa

 The TSCK exterior consists of a rich array of textured and colored pre-cast panels, wood windows and screens, fabric canopies, and glass to enclose the central spaces. The Aquarium houses a 1.5 million liter tank, which is one of the largest in the Gulf region. The mud-colored ceramic of the exterior walls are inspired by traditional Kuwaiti dwellings of the past, while the tent- and sail-like structures that appear above and around the center are reminiscent of Kuwait's maritime history. The ceramic floors of the corridors incorporate Islamic art patterns, while and the walls use traditional (SADU) weaving designs. A kilometer long public promenade runs along the full length of the Center's shoreline, placing visitors in continual contact with the sea. 

The Scientific Center of Kuwait

 Cambridge Seven, with Livingston Slone of Anchorage, prepared a conceptual design and program for the new 60,000 sf Alaska SeaLife Center, located in Seward, Alaska. This marine center provides facilities for research related to Alaska's coastal ecosystems, as well as rescue and rehabilitation programs for pinnipeds, cetaceans and sea mammals. Cambridge Seven`s design for the aquarium and research center included natural exhibit settings seen from above and below water, making visible animal behavior not normally seen by the public 

Alaska Sea Life Center

CambridgeSeven provided site planning, architecture, exhibit design, and all interior design for the original New England Aquarium building as well as for several expansion projects.   

After more than forty years of continuous operation, New England Aquarium&rsquo;s &ldquo;Giant Ocean Tank&rdquo; (GOT) received a major update to facilitate memorable visits for decades to come. The original Aquarium, designed by CambridgeSeven, began the modern aquarium movement and has become the standard for aquarium immersion experiences. The GOT is considered to be the feature around which that acclaimed experience is set.  The renovation also includes new lighting and graphics at the perimeter of the tank as well as a new domed lighting effect to intensify the immersion. While the GOT is 23 feet deep with only 200,000 gallons of saltwater, it continues to be the renewed heart of the Aquarium and a significant factor for why NEAq attracts more than a million visitors per year. 

The New England Aquarium in Boston opened in 1967 and became a precedent-setting prototype for many future aquariums. It is a phenomenal tourist draw in its urban waterfront setting; an educational resource serving its community and region; and an early example of Cambridge Seven's ability to offer both entertainment and education through experiential design, integrating exhibits and architecture. This unique institution is credited with a major role in the redevelopment of Boston's waterfront.

New England Aquarium

Peter Kuttner discusses Cambridge 7 Associate's New England Aquarium's architecture and exhibits, which they designed to be a part of the architecture. 

Architect Steven Imrich discusses the site of the New England Aquarium. When it was first built, there was little activity along the waterfront. The Aquarium became the catalyst for redevelopment in the area.

Architect Steve Imrich discusses the design for the interior, which would allow the visitors to be engaged with the water without getting wet. 

Architect Steven Imrich discusses the importance of the glass tanks in the New England Aquarium. Hundreds of thousands of gallons kept in a cylinder of water was an engineering feat.

Nearly 50 years ago Cambridge Seven designed a large fish tank as the centerpiece of the  building.  The technology needed was advanced for its day.  Steven Imrich shares the challenges he faced in renovating the tank.

Architect Peter Kuttner discusses the New England Aquarium, which is credited as the catalyst for public investment in an unsavory part of Boston.

 In the early 1970s, the growth of the Association`s fine art collections led the Trustees to consider securing new space for the art collection. Plans were initiated to purchase the historic Lone Star Brewery complex for conversion into the San Antonio Museum of Art. The buildings were acquired in the 1970s. Following a $7.2 million renovation, the Museum of Art was opened to the public in March of 1981. Funding for the renovation was secured through grants from the Economic Development Administration, the City of San Antonio and a number of private individuals and foundations. A National Endowment for the Arts challenge grant helped establish the operating endowment. At its outset, the Museum of Art emphasized the art of the Americas including pre-Columbian, Spanish Colonial and Latin American folk art. Included as well were eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth century American and European paintings, photography, sculpture and decorative arts. In 1985, the Museum received the unparalleled collections of Latin American Folk Art formed by former Vice President Nelson A. Rockefeller and Robert K. Winn, establishing it at the forefront of American institutions collecting in this area. Major gifts from the late Gilbert M. Denman, Jr. and the acquisition of the Stark-Willson Collection established a comprehensive collection of Egyptian, Greek and Roman art. The museum now has one of the largest collections of art of the ancient Mediterranean world in the southern United States. In the 1990s, Museum Trustees Walter F. and Lenora Brown began donating what has grown to over 500 Asian objects, mostly Chinese ceramics. This collection of Asian art now forms one of the finest Asian collections in the nation. These major gifts have been complemented through the years by hundreds of individually important gifts and purchases, to make it possible for the San Antonio Museum of Art to present to its audience significant artistic achievements of the world`s cultures from ancient times to the present, in accordance with the mission statement. In 1991, the 7,000 square foot Cowden Gallery was opened for changing exhibitions and, in 1994, the 3,000 square foot Beretta Hops House was renovated providing three classrooms for enriching art education programs. The Luby Courtyard was opened at the same time providing an appropriate outdoor space for family days and other art celebrations. In 1998, the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American Art, a 30,000 square foot wing, opened to display Latin American art from all periods. In May of 2005, the new Lenora and Walter F. Brown Asian Art Wing opened. It is a 15,000 square foot addition that makes SAMA the largest center for Asian art in the southern United States. In May of 2009, the Museum Reach extension of San Antonio's famed Riverwalk was opened. To accommodate the Museum's new riverfront access, SAMA built the Glora Galt River Landing, a shaded pavilion, esplanade and terrace along the Museum's north side. Architectural Record described Cambridge Seven's conversion of the old Lone Star brewery to a new art museum as work "of great distinction." The article praised the architects for executing "a technically demanding task without letting the effort show," referring in part to the inserting of new electrical and mechanical systems throughout the building so as to allow the original industrial interiors to take on a new-found elegance as reticent galleries for an art collection. A subdued palette of suites, grays, and light colors articulate details of ceiling vaults, cast iron columns, exposed steel beams, and lighting tracks. Changes of floor materials reinforce the individual identity and exhibit content of the galleries. A public circulation loop organizes the museum visit. Glass elevators, artwork in themselves, provide a kinetic experience within the stacked gallery spaces. A glass enclosed bridge connects the two gallery towers at the top, recalling the original bridge of the brewery, which was used for moving hops. Exterior brick elements, such as arched windows and playful parapet forms, were restored and complemented by the addition of color accents. New architectural elements, such as the glass bridge, skylights over the lobby, and a rooftop pavilion, were developed in a crisp vocabulary of dark glass and steel, both to celebrate the original building and to signal its new use, through contrast. 

San Antonio Museum of Art

 Chuck Redmon discusses the San Antonio Museum of Art building. It was once an old brewery; the architects used the old design of the brewery and transformed it into a space that held art. 

 Cambridge Seven worked closely with engineers, government agencies and community representatives to construct Porter Square Station, which serves both the rapid transit and the commuter rail systems. The goal was to create for this neighborhood a sense of place, and a sense of destination. This visually impressive station is situated 105 feet below ground under the heavily-traveled Massachusetts Avenue. A sky-lit mezzanine level with food concession, newspaper vendors and a waiting area breaks the long escalator descent down to the subway platform. The public art, selected and coordinated by Cambridge Seven, enhances the plaza, the mezzanine level, as well as the escalators. 

MBTA Porter Square Station

 Chuck Redmon discusses how he got involved with the modernization of the MBTA. 

Peter Kuttner of Cambridge 7 Associates talks about the guidelines when created the MBTA stations, specifically the Porter Square Station. 

 Cambridge Seven Associates was responsible for the introduction of the MBTA's now-famous "spider map," which has since been replicated in countries around the world. In addition, the firm introduced Station Design Standards for the MBTA almost 40 years ago, and these standards have stood the test of time. These standards defined guidelines for station modernization including architectural planning, circulation, materials, lighting, and station hardware. New names and system color codes for each transit line, as well as graphic standards for maps and signage. The Arlington subway station in downtown Boston was remodeled in 1968 as a materials test site and demonstration of the new design standards and components. 

MBTA Modernization Program

 Boston Children's Museum was the second children's museum in the United States. The museum was originally founded in Jamaica Plain and was moved to its current location in 1979. The Smith Family Waterfront Park at the Boston Children's Museum is designed to engage children in the programming of the museum and in the life of the city. Linking the museum's new front fa&ccedil;ade and the boardwalk and benches of the public harbor-front walkway that passes in front of the museum, the children's plaza creates a space of variety and texture meant to engage the mind and the senses. 

 Robert Benson Robert Benson  Robert Benson

Boston Children's Museum

 Robert Brown talks about the Atlantic Wharf (originally named Russia Wharf). It is a preservation project that turned into Boston's first Platinum LEED project. 

 Mark Schianca talks about the history of the 19th-century building that hosts Grand Circle Gallery, exhibiting original travel posters from around the world. 

 Peter Kuttner discusses the Boston Children's Museum, and Dr. Spock's mantra of "Please Touch" and what that meant for designing the building and exhibitions. 

 Forest Hills Station is a pivotal project in the MBTA's Southwest Corridor Improvement Program. The station is situated between two important points in Boston's "Emerald Necklace" park system, and thus was given the light appearance of a greenhouse by the Cambridge Seven design team. The distinctive clock tower, rising 120 feet above the station, signals the station location and has come to symbolize renewed energy in the surrounding neighborhood. The program also includes street and sidewalk improvements. The MBTA station houses waiting and transfer areas for the bus, trolley, subway, and commuter rail systems, plus passenger pick-up and drop-off points for automobiles and parking for 275 cars. 

MBTA Forest Hills Station

 Charles Redmon discusses the MBTA Forest Hills Station construction. The idea was based on a "pavilion in the park". 

This 33-story, mixed-use project includes a 347-key Four Seasons Hotel on the lower floors as well as 98 luxury condominiums on the upper floors.Developers Carpenter &amp; Company and Woodward Interests commissioned lead architect CambridgeSeven, Woodward Design+Build, and Trapolin-Peer Architects for the historic redevelopment of the former World Trade Center in New Orleans into the Four Seasons New Orleans Hotel and Residences. This 33-story, mixed-use project includes a 347-key Four Seasons Hotel on the lower floors as well as 98 luxury condominiums on the upper floors. Hotel guests and residents benefit from Four Seasons` five-star services and amenities, including two signature restaurants, more than 200,000 square feet of meeting space, a spa and fitness center, a roof-top pool and deck area, and a separate roof-top bar. A cornerstone of the Development includes a public cultural attraction, Vue Orleans, located on the second floor and in the two-story roof-top cupola, which will highlight New Orleans` history and culture and will be procured, curated and narrated by two of America`s leading academics&mdash;Harvard University`s Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Tulane University`s Lawrence N. Powell.

Four Seasons, New Orleans

The Ministry of Education (MOE) Headquarters, designed by CambridgeSeven in association with Gulf Consult, serves as a flexible, state of the art office facility for the Ministry of Education and eight MOE Sectors with their departments. Housing administrative offices and support space, general departmental offices, a 600-seat auditorium, conference rooms, a central library, food service facilities, lounges, prayer rooms, exhibition space, and generous function space, the building features state of the art building systems and is flexibly designed to accommodate MOE`s near-term and long-term objectives. The initial design occupancy is estimated to be approximately 2,800 people; although the building will accommodate an additional 35 percent staff growth. Design inspiration for the Ministry of Education`s new headquarters building originated from the rich maritime history of Kuwait shipbuilders, whose elegant dhows and magnificent sails have graced the horizon for centuries. The dhow concept is conceived as two curved office buildings that overlap to form an interior courtyard atrium. Thus, when approaching the site, one sees two graceful building forms intersecting like the sails of a dhow. 

Kuwait Ministry of Education Headquarters Building

 The Foundry Building is an adaptive reuse project to build a self-sustaining center for creativity and collaboration for the Cambridge community. At the intersection of the Kendall Square Innovation District and the East Cambridge neighborhood, this project will reflect both a progressive attitude and the industrial roots of area. Through a series of neighborhood presentations and charrettes, workshops with local artists and performers, and meetings with City leadership, a program was developed to include 50,000 GSF of woodworking, metalwork, and textiles makerspaces, STEAM classrooms, community meeting rooms, performance and dance spaces, art studios, culinary workshops, and market rate offices space. The ground floor will dedicate 25,000 SF to community and arts spaces. Levels 2 and 3 are set aside for market-rate offices. The office tenants will provide rent to offset the programming costs for the community spaces. The Flexible Performance Space, Dance Studios and Culinary Workshop may also be rented out at reduced rates for private group events. Designed with expectations to meet LEED Gold sustainability requirements, this project will serve as a prime example of effective building reuse. 

The Foundry Building

 The Ames Building, completed in 1893, was Boston's first skyscraper. It is the second tallest load-bearing masonry construction in the world, second only to the Monadnock Building in Chicago. Today it is a luxury hotel; the renovation was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc., completed in 2009. 

Ames Building

 Architect Stefanie Greenfield discusses the architecture of the Ames Building in Boston. Greenfield sheds light on the Ames family, how they got their wealth, and why they came to Boston. 

 Architect Stefanie Greenfield discusses the renovation of the Ames Hotel interiors. The new designs and the character of the old had to merge. 

 Stefanie Greenfield discusses the renovation the Ames Building in Boston. The Ames Building, completed in 1893, was Boston's first skyscraper. 

 Jay Wickersham tells the narrative of the Ames Building, Boston's first skyscraper. The building signifies one of the first architect-client relationship. Jay touches upon the history of the Ames family and their significance in the city building. 

 Architect Stefanie Greenfield discusses the historic significance of the Ames building. In its time, it was the tallest building in Boston; tourists would flock to the Ames to get a full view of the city. 

 According to Peter Vanderwarker, "the design of the jail became a model for prisons built all over the United States in the last half of the 19th century. The building featured fireproof construction, with a central administration block and four radiating wings that allowed ventilation and light to reach every cell. The prison also included large open communal work spaces and level, well-drained exercise yards. It was used continuously as a jail until its closing in 1990. Although it looks primitive by today&rsquo;s standards, it was a great step forward for its time. The thick, rusticated granite walls of the Charles Street Jail might remind one of the State Street Block, a sturdy warehouse that sits on State Street right next to the Custom House Tower. Both were designed by Gridley J.F. Bryant, who also designed Boston&rsquo;s Old City Hall." 

 The national historic landmark, was transformed into a new four-star luxury hotel on its prominent site overlooking the Charles River. Through restoration, reuse and reinvention, Cambridge Seven Associates with Ann Beha Architects designed the obsolete structure to be reborn as a vital commercial development incorporating historically significant portions of the building, and integrated into the urban fabric of its Beacon Hill neighborhood. Developed by Carpenter &amp; Company, The Liberty Hotel is a full service hotel including 298 guest rooms, a conference facility, ballroom, health club, lounge, restaurants and attractive amenities. According to Peter Vanderwarker, "given the old jail&rsquo;s pioneering of inmate health, there&rsquo;s some justice in the fact that part of it will become an outpatient care center for women, children, and cancer patients. The remaining three wings of the cross-shaped prison will be restored as the lobby, restaurants, and guest rooms of a $75 million, 300-room hotel and conference center being developed by Carpenter and Co." 

Liberty Hotel at Charles Street Jail

Gary Johnson was the principle designed for the Liberty Hotel in Boston. The project took a building that was once used for prisoners, and made a beautiful 4 star hotel.

CambridgeSeven is a world-renowned architecture firm that maximizes the power of collaboration to bring fresh solutions to complex design challenges. The design process is open, non-linear and informed by the diverse insights and wealth of experience in architecture, construction, exhibit design, art, urban design and graphic design.

CambridgeSeven

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