Shawmut Design and Construction, a leading $1.5-billion national construction management firm, has completed a historic renovation of The Langham, Boston hotel.
Originally constructed as The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston in the early 1920s, the building’s facade was designated as a Boston landmark in 1978, just before being converted into a hotel. Shawmut partnered with architect Dyer Brown and interior design firm Richmond International.
“The Langham, Boston’s design reflects the building’s origin as the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, which was constructed from 1920-1922 in a Renaissance Revival Style,” noted Randy Shelly, EVP, hospitality, Shawmut Design and Construction.
The renovation of the 288,000 sq.-ft. hotel included the 312 guestrooms, eight loft suites and the Chairman Suite; new Grana restaurant and The Fed cocktail pub; the new, private Langham Club; and the new Lincoln Ballroom. The team installed new finishes, millwork and furniture in guestroom corridors, lobby and meeting spaces and updated the hotel’s infrastructure with all new heating and cooling units, plumbing and life safety.
“The hotel features New England-inspired decor, with guestrooms in light blue and cream tones with clean lines, stripes, and art that celebrates Boston,” Shelly said. “The Langham, Boston sourced artwork from three local galleries, including The Copley Society, with pieces from Boston-based artists. In the Wyeth Room, the Shawmut team worked with a consultant to design a system to protect two murals from Massachusetts artist N.C. Wyeth, which stayed in place throughout the renovation.”
The Langham, Boston’s exterior received updates including new awnings—trading in the hotel’s signature red for charcoal—and a new entrance canopy with custom-made bronze panels from the Czech Republic.
The updated lobby includes a concierge and lounge area featuring a new fireplace. Brass and glass decorative screens create privacy between the lounge and concierge, and reception and elevators. In the rear lobby, the Shawmut team installed a brand-new grand staircase, clad in ebonized wood panels with antique brass accents and a leather-wrapped handrail.
“The design preserves the history of the building as the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and highlights its architectural elements while incorporating the finest materials, elevating the hotel to a new American classic,” Shelly said. “The Shawmut project team accomplished this through preservation and restoration techniques to honor the building’s origin while enhancing the guest experience with technological integrations and the highest quality of finishes.”
Set in what was once the grand hall of the Federal Reserve, Grana restaurant features the building’s original terrazzo floors, which the team restored, repaired and infilled with custom color-matching. Gold leaf was applied to the original decorative plaster box trims and floral reliefs on the ceiling’s perimeter, which were carefully protected during construction. To mimic the building’s original domed glass skylight, the team installed a backlit suspended ceiling. The original brass Federal Reserve seal embedded in the floor when the bank first opened in 1922 was protected during the renovation and remains in the center of the room.
The Fed, the Langham’s new cocktail pub, pays homage to the building’s origin as the Federal Reserve with walnut millwork inspired by safety deposit boxes. A fluted walnut bar face and Italian marble bar top is complemented by a custom brass and glass drink rack with illuminated panels, installed by Shawmut. To access the outdoor patio, the team created a new opening by cutting through two feet of the building, including the granite facade, and installed a new brass door.
The Langham’s former restaurant, Café Fleuri, was transformed into the new Lincoln Ballroom. The team added a new ceiling with a large central skylight under the existing atrium to provide natural light to the new ballroom. Gold leaf was applied at the coffered ceiling trims and silver leaf under the skylight. A fully-integrated A/V system was also installed, and the team performed structural work to support the projectors, which are installed on integrated scissor lifts to allow for remote control and extension from the ceiling.
The Governor’s Room, formerly the Officers Lounge and conference room for the Federal Reserve, was converted to a formal boardroom, marked by the original marble fireplace which was shifted three feet over to be centered in the updated room. The Langham Club, a new private club space on the eighth floor, reconfigured guestrooms to create a reception area, dining area, library with custom millwork bookcases and buffet featuring grigio biliemi, blue volga and statuario extra stones.
New features of the hotel’s 312 guestrooms and suites include a sitting area with custom corbel shelves made to complement the crown molding; doorbells tied to a Lutron switch to allow guests to indicate if they don’t want to be disturbed or if they’d like their room cleaned; and Legrand Adorne switch systems with dimmable lights. The bathrooms feature marble hand-selected by the project team from the Santucci Quarry in Carrara, Italy, and amenities including rain shower heads, heated toilet seats, demister mirrors and speakers connected to the bedroom television.
“The renovation brings the hotel up to a new standard of modern luxury that Langham Hospitality Group is known for. The redesigned spaces and new Grana restaurant, The Fed cocktail pub, Lincoln Ballroom and private Langham Club complement The Langham Hotels and Resorts global portfolio,” Shelly said.
The residentially-styled Loft Suites feature 16-ft. high ceilings and the original 12 ½-ft. high brass-embossed windows. The Shawmut team refurbished the brass mullions to make the original feature feel new. Connecting the two floors, the team installed a glass railing with antique brass details on the loft level that overlooks the first floor of the suite.
The Chairman Suite channels the spirit of New England with a contemporary classic nod to the 1920s. The living room boasts a new electric fireplace with Calacatta Oro stone, coffered ceiling and silver leaf glass panels within the built-in millwork. The dining room features a Calacatta Oro wet bar with specialty resin cabinet doors that feature inset panels of overlapping solid silver oak fern leaves. The suite’s luxurious finishes include fabric wall panels made of horsehair and wool with leather piping, custom light fixtures and a standalone soaking tub.
“The level of detail in the design and execution of this renovation creates a refreshed, luxurious hotel,” Shelly said. “From the gold leaf applied to the original decorative plaster box trims and floral reliefs on Grana’s ceiling to the relocation of the original marble fireplace in the Governor’s Room to center it within the room, these seemingly subtle design decisions add significantly to the experience.”
