Hotel Alexandra (Boston): Difference between revisions
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{{short description|Historic building in Boston, Massachusetts}} |
{{short description|Historic building in Boston, Massachusetts}}{{Infobox building |
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| name = Hotel Alexandra |
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{{refimprove|date=October 2018}} |
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| alternate_names = Walworth Building |
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{{other|Hotel Alexandra}} |
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| image = Alexandra Hotel, Boston, MA, 1899.jpg |
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[[File:Alexandra Hotel, Boston, MA, 1899.jpg|thumb|"W side of Wash(ington) St. S. cor. of Mass. Ave. Oct. 30, 1899". Image also shows a "National Biscuit Company" (Quincy Biscuit) wagon advertising "Uneeda Biscuit", based out of Charlestown, MA]] |
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| caption = Hotel Alexandra in 1899 |
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The '''Hotel Alexandra''' is a historic building constructed in [[Ruskinian Gothic]] architecture at the end of the 19th century at the corner of Washington Street and Massachusetts Avenue in the South End of Boston, Massacusetts. |
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| location = [[South End District]] |
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| address = 1759–1763 Washington St. |
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| location_town = [[South End, Boston|South End]], [[Boston Massachusetts|Boston]], [[Massachusetts]] |
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| coordinates = {{Coord|42.3365|N|71.0773|W}} |
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| opened_date = 1875 |
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| architect = [[Peabody and Stearns|Peabody & Stearns]] |
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| architectural_style = [[High Victorian Gothic]] |
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| namesake = [[Alexandra of Denmark]] |
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| rooms = 50 |
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| mapframe-zoom = 12 |
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}} |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2019}} |
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The '''Hotel Alexandra''', historically the '''Walworth Building''', is a [[High Victorian Gothic]] structure built in the 1870s with a sandstone façade at the corner of Washington Street and Massachusetts Avenue in the [[South End, Boston|South End]] neighborhood of [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonpreservation.org/advocacy-project/alexandra-hotel |title=Alexandra Hotel |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=September 2019 |website= |publisher=Boston Preservation Alliance |access-date=2019-11-18}}</ref> The structure is located within the [[South End District|South End Landmark District]] which was established in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.boston.gov/historic-district/south-end-landmark-district|title = South End Landmark District|date = July 13, 2016}}</ref> |
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== History == |
== History == |
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The hotel was developed by the Walworth Brothers who founded The Walworth Manufacturing Company which was a pioneer in steam technology in the late 19th century.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0S10AwAAQBAJ&q=Caleb+Walworth&pg=PA93|title=Legendary Locals of Boston's South End|last=Shannon|first=Hope J.|date=May 5, 2014|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|isbn=9781439645024|language=en}}</ref> This is likely the reason the hotel was equipped with a rare steam powered elevator. The hotel is of [[Victorian era|Victorian Heritage]] as it was named after [[Alexandra of Denmark]]. The hotel was opened in 1875 to crowded cobblestone streets, filled not with cars, but horses and buggies. The South End of Boston was barely 20 years old. Always a distinct building, the hotel originally stood prominently especially since most of the buildings around it were warehouses. In 1900 the hotel began a gradual desolation after the opening of an elevated train line right outside. |
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At the time the Alexandra was being constructed, Walworth lived nearby at 38 West Newton St. His partner, Emil C. Hammer (1824–1894), was living with Walworth’s family at the time of the 1860 census, and became treasurer of the Walworth Manufacturing Co. He later moved into the Hotel Alexandra. He would go on to found the United States Watch Factory in [[Waltham, Massachusetts]] around 1886. According to a bookplate on his FindAGrave page, he was the Danish Consul at the port of Boston for the last 35 years of his life. In addition to his later work in the South End, the contractor and builder Ivory Bean (1818–1903), was also responsible for the 1853 row house next door to the Hotel Alexandra. This row house was demolished in the early 2010s as a result of its advanced deteriorated state.<ref name=macris/> |
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The long-hidden architect of the Hotel Alexandra has now been discovered to be [[Peabody and Stearns|Peabody & Stearns]], according to a short building permits report in the Suffolk County Journal.<ref name=macris>{{cite web |url=https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=bos.1290 |title= Historic Building Detail: BOS.1290 Hotel Alexandra}}</ref> |
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== Rebirth == |
== Rebirth == |
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The hotel was discovered indefinitely vacant in the early |
The hotel was discovered indefinitely vacant in the early 1990s. The residential hotel, which featured 50 rooms and 2,000 square-foot flats with high, elegant ceilings, was acquired by the [[Church of Scientology]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/real_estate/2013/04/alexandra-hotel-church-of-scientology.html|title=Alexandra Hotel to be saved by Church of Scientology|website=www.bizjournals.com|access-date=October 6, 2018}}</ref> |
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In 2018, Alexandra Partners proposed restoring the historic façade of the Alexandra and constructing a 13-story hotel tower at the rear and side of the existing structure. The project received all the necessary approvals from city agencies in late 2019.<ref>{{cite web | title = Alexandra Hotel | url = http://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/alexandra-hotel | website = Boston Planning & Development Agency}}</ref> |
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According to the ''Boston Sun'', in September 2020 the building site was again placed on the market.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://thebostonsun.com/2020/09/09/alexandra-hotel-developers-to-put-project-up-for-sale-as-financing-unravels/ | work = Boston Sun | title = Alexandra Hotel Developers to Put Project Up for Sale as Financing Unravels | date= September 9, 2020 | first = Seth | last = Daniel }}</ref>[[File:HotelAlexandraBoston.jpg|thumb|The building in 2019]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{Coord|42.3366|-71.0775|display=title}} |
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{{Peabody & Stearns|state=collapsed}} |
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== Sources == |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:1870s establishments in Massachusetts]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:19th century in Boston]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 1870s]] |
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[[Category:Hotels in |
[[Category:Hotels in Boston]] |
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[[Category:Peabody and Stearns buildings]] |
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Latest revision as of 16:58, 4 July 2024
| Hotel Alexandra | |
|---|---|
 Hotel Alexandra in 1899 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | Walworth Building |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | High Victorian Gothic |
| Location | South End District |
| Address | 1759–1763 Washington St. |
| Town or city | South End, Boston, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 42°20′11″N 71°04′38″W / 42.3365°N 71.0773°W |
| Named for | Alexandra of Denmark |
| Opened | 1875 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Peabody & Stearns |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 50 |
The Hotel Alexandra, historically the Walworth Building, is a High Victorian Gothic structure built in the 1870s with a sandstone façade at the corner of Washington Street and Massachusetts Avenue in the South End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.[1] The structure is located within the South End Landmark District which was established in 1983.[2]
History
[edit]The hotel was developed by the Walworth Brothers who founded The Walworth Manufacturing Company which was a pioneer in steam technology in the late 19th century.[3] This is likely the reason the hotel was equipped with a rare steam powered elevator. The hotel is of Victorian Heritage as it was named after Alexandra of Denmark. The hotel was opened in 1875 to crowded cobblestone streets, filled not with cars, but horses and buggies. The South End of Boston was barely 20 years old. Always a distinct building, the hotel originally stood prominently especially since most of the buildings around it were warehouses. In 1900 the hotel began a gradual desolation after the opening of an elevated train line right outside.
At the time the Alexandra was being constructed, Walworth lived nearby at 38 West Newton St. His partner, Emil C. Hammer (1824–1894), was living with Walworth’s family at the time of the 1860 census, and became treasurer of the Walworth Manufacturing Co. He later moved into the Hotel Alexandra. He would go on to found the United States Watch Factory in Waltham, Massachusetts around 1886. According to a bookplate on his FindAGrave page, he was the Danish Consul at the port of Boston for the last 35 years of his life. In addition to his later work in the South End, the contractor and builder Ivory Bean (1818–1903), was also responsible for the 1853 row house next door to the Hotel Alexandra. This row house was demolished in the early 2010s as a result of its advanced deteriorated state.[4]
The long-hidden architect of the Hotel Alexandra has now been discovered to be Peabody & Stearns, according to a short building permits report in the Suffolk County Journal.[4]
Rebirth
[edit]The hotel was discovered indefinitely vacant in the early 1990s. The residential hotel, which featured 50 rooms and 2,000 square-foot flats with high, elegant ceilings, was acquired by the Church of Scientology.[5]
In 2018, Alexandra Partners proposed restoring the historic façade of the Alexandra and constructing a 13-story hotel tower at the rear and side of the existing structure. The project received all the necessary approvals from city agencies in late 2019.[6]
According to the Boston Sun, in September 2020 the building site was again placed on the market.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Alexandra Hotel". Boston Preservation Alliance. September 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
- ^ "South End Landmark District". July 13, 2016.
- ^ Shannon, Hope J. (May 5, 2014). Legendary Locals of Boston's South End. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439645024.
- ^ a b "Historic Building Detail: BOS.1290 Hotel Alexandra".
- ^ "Alexandra Hotel to be saved by Church of Scientology". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ "Alexandra Hotel". Boston Planning & Development Agency.
- ^ Daniel, Seth (September 9, 2020). "Alexandra Hotel Developers to Put Project Up for Sale as Financing Unravels". Boston Sun.
42°20′12″N 71°04′39″W / 42.3366°N 71.0775°W
