Photo Credit: Richard Mandelkorn

The historic renovation of The Langham, Boston has been named a 2022 Preservation Massachusetts award winner. Winning the Paul & Niki Tsongas Award, Preservation Massachusetts’ highest honor, the project is recognized as displaying the highest level of commitment to historic preservation in the Commonwealth. Read more about the project below and about the award on Preservation Massachusetts here.

The goal of the comprehensive renovation of The Langham, Boston was to preserve the history of the building (the original Federal Reserve Bank of Boston) and highlight its architectural elements while incorporating the finest materials and bringing this Boston Landmark up to a new standard of modern luxury. In collaboration with Dyer Brown and the Richmond International design team, Shawmut worked hard to bring The Langham, Boston back to life.

The renovation spanned across the 288,000 square feet of the hotel, including a renovation of all 312 guest rooms, eight loft suites, and the Chairman Suite with new finishes, millwork, and furniture. New to the hotel are GRANA restaurant, The Fed cocktail pub, The Langham Club (new private club space on the 8th floor), and Lincoln Ballroom. Additionally, the hotel’s infrastructure was updated with all new heating and cooling units, plumbing, and life safety.

Constructed as The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston between 1920 and 1922, this R. Clipston Sturgis-designed Renaissance Revival-style building was designated a Boston Landmark in 1978. In 1980, a three-story vertical addition was added as the building was converted to a hotel. This most recent renovation project began in 2019 and was completed in 2021. Throughout the project, the team worked with the Boston Landmarks Commission to ensure the exterior continued to represent the essence of the original design. 

The result is a fully renovated hotel that preserves and respects the building’s grand past as the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, while introducing a new standard of modern luxury hospitality to Downtown Boston.

Highlights of the renovation and restoration include:

• The exterior façade masonry was repaired and cleaned, brightening up the limestone and 2’-thick granite to its original appearance. New signage, new upgraded charcoal awnings, and new exterior lighting at multiple levels provided further enhancements to the façade.
• The original Federal Reserve Bank Grand Hall (now GRANA) was preserved and restored including original terrazzo flooring, original Federal Reserve brass floor seal, original limestone walls, and original decorative plaster ceiling. A new illuminated ceiling was installed to echo the building’s history and the original domed skylight that was roofed over when the hotel conversion took place in 1980. The original crystal chandeliers were cleaned and repaired and now hang from the new illuminated ceiling.
• What is now the Governor’s Room was originally the Officer’s Lounge and a conference room used by the banking professionals. During the renovation, the dividing wall was removed to create one large meeting space. The original marble fireplace was carefully disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled to be centered in the new space.
• Many other decorative elements throughout the hotel pay homage to building’s past; millwork in the front lobby and The Fed bar mimics security deposit boxes, upholstery throughout references the suits bankers wore in the 1920’s, and brass and green details throughout evoke traditional banker’s lamps.