HISTORIC HOTELS OF AMERICA By Jeff & Stephanie Sylva
iscerning travelers choose their accommodations with an eye toward quality and high standards. But deciding which quality hotel to stay at can be a daunting task. Many travelers have come to recognize the consistent authenticity, historic significance, and sense of place that members of the Historic Hotels of America are known for. This official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation recognizes, celebrates, and promotes the finest historic hotels. A major component of the Historic Hotels of America program is how the member hotels represent the heritage and development of America. No matter your preference, you will find a Historic Hotel in settings that range from rustic to refined and in locales as diverse as the mountain wilderness, manicured countrysides, the center of small towns and bustling metropolises. In addition to representing America’s heritage, and while maintaining a high standard of quality accommodations, these historic hotels often reflect interesting themes that add a further dimension to a stay.
A NEW LIFE Of the 295 Historic Hotels, 92 of them are prime examples of adaptive reuse—that is, they started their life as something else before becoming a Historic Hotel. For example, Hotel El Convento in San Juan, Puerto Rico was once a former Carmelite convent. After being vacated by the nuns in 1903, the convent was left for decades to ruin. In the 1950’s it was a target for the wrecking ball until it was saved by Puerto Rican tourism, cultural officials, and millionaire Robert Woolworth, who purchased it in 1962 and converted it into a European-style luxury hotel restoring the intricate beauty and Spanish features of the original convent.
Hotel El Convento
Ledges Hotel Photo courtesy of Jumping Rocks Media Ledges Hotel in Hawley, Pennsylvania was built in 1890 as the John S. O’Connor Glass Factory. The hotel today still illustrates the deep culture and heritage of the area’s manufacturing industry throughout the hotel. The name Ledges reflects the hotel’s location perched over Wallenpaupack Creek and offering stunning views of the creek’s cascades.
The Kendall Hotel Since 1894 and continuing for more than a century, a Victorian red brick building adjacent to Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Kendall Square housed the Cambridge Fire Department Engine 7 Station. But in 2002, the building was converted into a luxury boutique hotel; and today, after a pair of additions, The Kendall Hotel at the Engine 7 Firehouse serves as the only historic hotel remaining in Cambridge.
The Craddock Terry Hotel
The Porches Inn The Porches Inn at MASS MoCA (the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) in North Adams is comprised of six Victorian row houses, once homes to families of mill workers who lived and labored there for decades. The Inn, which is named for the long verandas that link the buildings, is a prime representation of the revitalization of this once forgotten mill town.
The Craddock Terry Hotel in Lynchburg, Virginia was once the Craddock Terry Shoe Company, the first shoe company south of the Mason-Dixon Line and the fifth largest in the world. And, yes, shoes do figure in this luxury boutique hotel’s amenities. A signature in-room shoebox breakfast is offered daily, as well as complimentary overnight shoe shine. APRIL 2017 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 25