The Langham Boston Hotel Renovation
Project Stats
- Location
Boston, Massachusetts
- Size
168,000 SF
- Market
- Expertise
A Beaux Arts beauty
The top-to-bottom renovation of The Langham, Boston Hotel celebrates the 1922 Beaux Arts-style architecture of the historic nine-story, 168,000 square-foot building. The goal was to reposition the elegant landmark as an American classic, boasting warm and lavish interior spaces with nods to the romance of early 20th century travel. The design takes direct inspiration from the building’s history as a former Federal Reserve Bank chapter, evoking bygone eras of finance.
Guests enter under a canopy element inspired by the coffered ceiling of the bank president’s reception room (now an event room) arriving in a lobby lounge with a crackling fireplace. Multiple spaces inside feature natural Italian marble, hand-selected for dramatic veining, along with original artwork. The artwork is a combination of the owner’s collection, commissions specifically for the project, and art curated by the Copley Society of Art, the country’s oldest non-profit art association.
As Architect of Record, the team collaborated on design and architectural interventions aimed at reinforcing the ownership’s global brand. A new grand stair creates a memorable, iconic moment and connects the lower floors where most dining options, meeting rooms, and ballrooms are located. Optimizing for access to the stair introduces movement and egress options for guests navigating these high-traffic floors.
Down to the last detail
Featuring classic interiors with odes to its 1920’s Renaissance Revival heritage, all 312 guestrooms received a complete refresh, with new millwork and a lighter, fresher color palette, plus marble bathrooms, and New England-inspired decor. Guestroom baths feature Dornbracht tapware and marble tile, and guestroom level carpeting is hand-woven from Belgium. The extravagant Chairman Suite features a parlor with coffered ceilings, grand piano, dining room with wet bar, and powder room and master bathroom both appointed with marble floors and wainscoting.
The finer things
To attain a 5-star rating, the design included a number of high-end amenities including a club lounge, two updated restaurants, various function spaces, and public areas. In the revamped restaurant, Grana, guests enjoy bespoke seating in high-end upholstery and a terrazzo floor that incorporates the preserved original Bank Seal detail. Above, a back-lit ceiling composed of eco-resin panels and LED fixtures emulates the original, long ago filled-in skylight, creating the feel of natural daylight. Diners enjoy custom works of art including a grand-scale metal sculpture inspired by the face of Lady Liberty from a famous Reserve-minted coin.
For the new Lincoln Ballroom, the project team worked to realize the client group’s vision of a luxurious function room saturated with natural light from a skylight. The solution was a massive 13-ton glass ceiling designed and engineered to be walkable from above for maintenance, allowing daylight to pour in through the existing skylight above. An integrated blackout shade system supports events that require a darker setting for using the newly installed state-of-the-art audio-visual system. The ballroom also features another major architectural intervention: to expand the prefunction space, one of two connecting stairs to the second-floor was removed.
What’s on the outside (also) counts
Exterior improvements to the façade emphasized sensitivity to both historical significance and context, earning the approval of the Boston Landmarks Commission. The new main entrance canopy complements the Beaux Arts-style, drawing inspiration from the original decorative coffered ceiling of the Wyeth Event Room – formerly the bank president’s reception room. New awnings, outdoor signage and an updated lighting design highlight the façade’s grand architectural details, strengthening the building’s presence at night.
The original granite and limestone masonry was restored through re-pointing deteriorating mortar, resealing windows, repairing the stone cornice, and cleaning the masonry. The project architect led efforts to upgrade accessibility, MEP equipment, and other infrastructure, including installing a rooftop cooling tower and generator positioned to preserve the existing roofline.
This project was completed by Dyer Brown before it was acquired by Corgan in August 2025.
