WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#historichotels–Historic Hotels of America®, an official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is pleased to announce The 2024 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Best of Adaptive Reuse list. A popular and creative approach to historic preservation, “adaptive reuse” saves unused historic buildings from demolition by rehabilitating and renovating them for a new purpose. Travelers can visit many historic inns, resorts, and hotels in the United States today because their owners chose to reimagine historic buildings in sustainable and creative ways. At Historic Hotels of America, adaptive reuse hotels offer travelers an immersive, authentic, and fun way to experience their next trip.
Released during Preservation Month, The 2024 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America® Best of Adaptive Reuse list spotlights 25 richly preserved historic buildings that were not originally built to be hotels. Historic Hotels of America guests can spend the night in former factories where Ghirardelli chocolate and world-class cork products were produced, or make a historic Masonic temple their home base while exploring New Orleans. One historic hotel featured on the list is a former junior high school that embraces its past with “hall pass” guestroom keycards and signature cocktails like the Prom Queen. Another historic hotel featured on the list is a former train station that curates train-car-themed suites, named after ticketing agents who once worked there. Others offer dining inside a historic bank vault and historic smokestack. These hotels are living proof that historic buildings can serve contemporary needs while preserving their timeless character.
This month, the nation’s leading preservation nonprofit is shining a spotlight on the ways in which history and heritage are preserved in the United States, and on the people who are doing this important work. The theme this year honors “People Saving Places.” For more information, please visit HistoricHotels.org and sign up for Discover & Explore to stay up to date on news and special offers.
El Convento Hotel (1646) San Juan, Puerto Rico
Former Carmelite Convent
Located in the historic walled city of Old San Juan, El Convento Hotel was built over 350 years ago to be a Roman Catholic convent for nuns of the Carmelite Order. The land was donated to the order by Doña Ana Lanzós, a wealthy widow, in the early 1600s, but construction was delayed while labor and material resources were redirected to build the city’s fortifications. In 1646, King Phillip IV of Spain approved the convent, and San Juan finally had its beautiful new convent. Debuting as the “Monasterio del Señor San José de la Orden de nuestra Señora del Carmen” in 1651, the convent welcomed three nuns from Hispaniola as its first residents. For nearly 250 years, the convent was one of the Caribbean’s major Catholic facilities, often providing support to the Catedral Basilica Menor de San Juan Bautista—the second-most historic cathedral in the Americas. In 1903, the convent closed. The Bishop of Puerto Rico determined that the convent was too expensive to maintain, and the building faced an uncertain future for 50 years. In the mid-20th century, Robert Woolworth stepped in and invested in a complete rehabilitation of the building, ultimately transforming the aged convent into a stunning, boutique hotel. Reborn as El Convento Hotel, it soon emerged as one of the most popular vacation destinations in all of San Juan. In fact, numerous celebrities—including Rita Hayworth and Truman Capote—were among the first guests to step inside. Further restorations and renovations have rejuvenated the building’s historical and structural integrity, revitalizing the Spanish-style design features of the original convent, such as the architectural details throughout the building’s façade. Among other historic features, a 300-year-old Spanish nispero fruit tree remains in the historic courtyard. El Convento Hotel was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 1999.
Kings Courtyard Inn (1853) Charleston, South Carolina
Former Mixed-Use Commercial Building
The welcoming Kings Courtyard Inn was established in the mixed-use historic Blum Building, which encompasses 192-198 King Street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. The Blum Building was constructed in 1853 by Colonel J. Charles Blum and was designed by Francis D. Lee in the Greek Revival style of architecture, with Egyptian-style architectural details. This building transformed Lower King Street, changing the neighborhood from single-family homes to mixed-use buildings, with retail trade, rental units, and hotels. Establishments like “F. Petit Confectionary” and “Fancy Goods” and “Mrs. Evan’s boarding house” opened in the 1850s. Over the years, the building saw various occupants and uses, reflecting the evolving needs of Charleston. By the mid-20th century, it had accommodated many different businesses, including a bicycle shop and a skating rink. Despite experiencing periods of neglect, the building’s architectural significance endured, and it was lovingly restored to its former glory in 1983. The effort to rehabilitate the building was led by Charleston businessman Richard T. Widman, Founder of Charming Inns®. Original lightwells were transformed into courtyards, and 34 guestrooms were appointed with 18th-century reproduction furniture. The building’s stunning, oversized windows, and its stylized columns and delicate ironwork, which were added around the turn-of-the-century, were all meticulously preserved and can be seen at the inn today. The preservation work accomplished at the Kings Courtyard Inn resulted in contemporary comfort for guests, while making the building’s architectural significance and its role in the city’s heritage accessible to visitors. Kings Courtyard Inn was inducted as a Charter Member of Historic Hotels of America in 1989.
Cork Factory Hotel (1865) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Former Cork Factory
Cork Factory Hotel in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, was once the home of Lancaster Cork Works and the Armstrong Cork and Kerr Glass companies. Built in 1865, the Lancaster Cork Works factory contributed to the region’s manufacturing identity, and its infrastructure helped Thomas M. Armstrong, the founder of the world’s largest supplier of cork-related goods in the 1890s, expand into the region in 1895. Armstrong named the factory the Lancaster Closure Plant, where the manufacturing of cork gave way to insulated corkboard, fiberboard, and then linoleum products. The Lancaster factories proved so effective in producing the new goods that the entire Armstrong Cork Company completely relocated to Lancaster in 1929. By the mid-20th century, the Armstrong Cork Company was one of the most powerful corporations in the United States, and employed 800 workers at the Lancaster factory. In 1969, the company sold its Lancaster complex to the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Corporation, who retained most of the workforce and honored existing labor contracts. In 2000, the glass factory closed, and a real estate developer transformed the historic brick building into Urban Place, a mixed-use community with offices, restaurants, storefronts, and upscale apartments. One wing of the facility was transformed into a luxurious boutique hotel, which opened in 2009 as the Cork Factory Hotel. Visitors to Cork Factory Hotel can enjoy the restored factory’s original brick interior walls and exposed wood ceilings, along with the luxury of a modern hotel. Cork Factory Hotel was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2010.
The Inn at Leola Village, Est. 1867 (1867) Leola, Pennsylvania
Former Amish Tobacco Farm
Nestled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, The Inn at Leola Village, Est. 1867, is a collection of charming 19th-century farmhouses, barns, and other buildings that once supported a historic tobacco farm, but is a romantic destination today. Starting with the construction of the first farmhouse in 1867, this farm cultivated tobacco for the cigar factories in the nearby city of Lancaster. The farm operated until the late-20th century. By 1999, the buildings were abandoned and threatened with demolition, but were saved when preservation-minded caretakers acquired the land. The new owners transformed the village’s several barns, tool shed, two smaller farmhouses, and main farmhouse into a boutique hotel, The Inn at Leola Village, Est. 1867. The team meticulously converted the tobacco barn into a handful of signature suites, showcasing vaulted ceilings and rustic post-and-beam construction. The Wine Cellar Suite in the lower level of the historic Bard House offers guests a unique guestroom with exposed stone walls, an arched reading nook, and exposed beams—as well as an oversized whirlpool tub, luxury king-size bed, and fine appointments. The inn offers contemporary guests the best qualities of Amish life in the 19th century, blended with today’s modern comforts and luxury offerings, like an award-winning spa. The Inn at Leola Village, Est. 1867 was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2001.
Atheneum Suite Hotel (1879) Detroit, Michigan
Former Seed Company Warehouse
Originally a seed company warehouse in Detroit, Michigan, when the city was considered to be the “Seed Capital of the World,” Atheneum Suite Hotel offers contemporary travelers 173 elegant suites with views of the city’s skyline. The business’s history can be traced to 1856, when businessman Dexter Mason Ferry established his seed-growing company in Detroit, and opened a large warehouse complex on the corner of Monroe Street and Beaubien Boulevard in 1879. The most historic portion of the surviving building dates to 1886, when a newer, grander warehouse was designed by architect Gordon S. Lloyd, who drew inspiration for a new Romanesque-style warehouse from Marshall Field’s Wholesale Store in Chicago. Debuting as the largest industrial structure in Detroit at the time, the building stood eight stories tall and featured a marvelous brick façade with limestone trim. The ornate warehouse served as the company’s headquarters for decades. By the 1950s, the company expanded into world markets as the Ferry-Morse Seed Company and moved its business operations away from Detroit, leading to the closure of its historic warehouse. In the 1980s, businessman Jim Papas, a Greek immigrant with deep connections to the neighborhood, acquired the site and planned to build an upscale hotel. He recognized the building’s rich heritage and directed the renovations to preserve the building’s architectural integrity. Papas and his team transformed the Ferry-Morse Company’s warehouse into a multi-use urban mall known as Trappers Alley, establishing the Atheneum Suite Hotel at the same time. Part of the historic Greektown neighborhood, the Atheneum Suite Hotel was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2023.
La Posada de Santa Fe (1882) Santa Fe, New Mexico
Former Family Home
Set on six beautifully landscaped acres in Santa Fe, New Mexico, La Posada de Santa Fe was originally constructed as a private family home. La Posada’s history harkens back to the arrival of German immigrant Abraham Staab and his wife, Julia. The Staabs arrived in Santa Fe in the mid-1850s, after making the arduous journey along the Santa Fe Trail. Their grand family home, now part of a luxury resort in downtown Santa Fe, was completed in 1882. When Abraham passed away in 1913, the house remained a private residence until the 1930s, when the new owners transformed the mansion and adjacent land into a hotel with casita-style guestrooms, calling it La Posada Inn. At the time, Santa Fe was a major stop along historic Route 66, which many Dust Bowl refugees used to travel to California during the Great Depression. New motels, restaurants, and service stations popped up along the route to support the increasing traffic during this era. Although many of these establishments have disappeared, La Posada de Santa Fe has offered fine hospitality ever since, with millions of dollars invested in preserving its 19th and 20th century historic details, while modernizing accommodations throughout the years. For example, in 1987, several historic stables and sheds were converted into new casita-style guestrooms. Ten years later, a larger investment transformed La Posada de Santa Fe into a sprawling, world-class resort, with new facilities like a spa and conference space. More updates and restorations were made in 2013, when the hotel changed ownership once again. Beloved for over 140 years, the historic 1882 Victorian era Staab residence, and surrounding 1930s Pueblo Revival-style casitas, are a fascinating way for guests to discover New Mexico’s rich history. La Posada de Santa Fe was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2019.
Fairfield Inn & Suites Madison Historic Eagle Cotton Mill (1884) Madison, Indiana
Former Cotton Mill
Located on the banks of the Ohio River, Fairfield Inn & Suites Madison Historic Eagle Cotton Mill was built in 1884 as a cotton mill. Local builders Robert Rankin and James White constructed the Eagle Cotton Mill in 1884 to bolster Madison’s manufacturing economy. They used money raised through local subscriptions to purchase and relocate equipment from a Pennsylvania mill, and by the turn of the twentieth century, the mill was the city’s major industrial plant, with 400 employees producing muslin, canvas, and twine. The mill ceased operations during the Great Depression, and the building housed other manufacturing operations for another 50 years, producing shoes, canvas military goods, ice cream carts for vendors, and refrigerators. Despite its prime location, the building fell into disrepair, and was even listed on Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered places list in 2013 and 2014. Preservation-minded investors soon saved the building, carefully renovating and restoring it. On the outside, the façade remains mostly the same, as a masonry company repaired more than a million original bricks, and new windows were installed within the original frames. Inside, the building retains its original wooden beams, where visitors can see where factory workers carved their names, and the names of their loved ones, into the wood. Original wood from the mill’s historic stairs was repurposed and installed as a statement wall behind the lobby bar. Complementing these historic features, the interior design and artwork highlight the building’s history. When the Fairfield Inn & Suites Madison Historic Eagle Cotton Mill opened, it won the Indiana Landmarks Renaissance Award, recognizing its physical and subsequent economic revitalization. Fairfield Inn & Suites Madison Historic Eagle Cotton Mill was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2023.
Napa River Inn (1884) Napa, California
Former Warehouse
Napa River Inn is a historic hotel on the Napa River in California’s verdant Wine Country. However, this riverfront getaway has not always been a boutique hotel. Napa River Inn was known as the Hatt Building for decades, and served a variety of purposes before its most recent transformation. In 1882, Captain Albert E. Hatt, a German immigrant, decided to invest in a plot of land at the corner of Main Street and Fifth Street in Napa, where he built a massive multipurpose warehouse that became a success. Local merchants used the warehouse to store goods, and the warehouse provided space for Alma Hogan Hatt, Albert’s wife, to open a restaurant. On the second floor, the Hatts added a skating rink, library, and dining area. After the Hatt family moved on, the building served as a granary and mill for local farmers for approximately 50 years. After a period of uncertainty in the late 20th century, an investor acquired the building in 1992 with a plan to transform it into a stunning hotel, worthy of the beautiful Napa Valley, while preserving the facility’s rich architectural integrity. The Hatt Building debuted as the Napa River Inn in 2000. Today, guests can stay in guestrooms with exposed brick walls that are original to the warehouse, and can even book Captain Hatt’s Suite, complete with a fireplace and clawfoot slipper bathtub. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places and once named as one of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Napa River Inn was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2004.
Ledges Hotel (1890) Hawley, Pennsylvania
Former Glass Factory
Perched on the edge of Wallenpaupack Creek in Hawley, Pennsylvania, amid the breathtaking scenery of the Pocono Mountains, Ledges Hotel is a tranquil destination with a fascinating industrial history. The five-story Federal-style building dates to the 1890s, when it served as the J.S. O’Connor American Rich Cut Glassware Factory, one of the largest of its kind in the United States at the time. Founded by an Irish immigrant, the factory on Wallenpaupack Creek was water-powered, and one of the county’s biggest employers. In 2011, family-owned Settlers Hospitality Group acquired the building to develop a hotel and restaurant that would preserve the aesthetic of this historic building, constructed with Pennsylvania Bluestone. Wood from the trusses of the adjacent Bellemonte Silk Mill was repurposed into modern beds and tables for guestrooms. Décor in the hotel’s restaurant, Glass, includes original glass mold prints from the factory, as well as historic images from its factory era. Wood from a fallen 250-year-old copper beech tree was used to create a live edge bar and tabletops for the dining room. A part of the hotel known as “the ruins” was converted into an outdoor lounge space. This area is a guest favorite, and allows visitors to see a portion of the original factory building, where the architecture blends seamlessly with the surrounding natural rock ledges and waterfall. Merging modern design and amenities with historical integrity and environmental sustainability, Ledges Hotel was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2013.
Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square (1893) San Francisco, California
Former Chocolate Factory
With history as rich as the chocolate that funded it, the historic clock tower building at San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square has been home to the Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square since 2008. The residential-style, all-suite private residence club allows owners and guests to experience one of San Francisco’s most iconic tourist destinations. Many of the hotel’s guestrooms feature the factory’s original brick walls, as well as breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay and city skyline. The building was established in 1893, when chocolatier and Italian immigrant Domenico Ghirardelli purchased an entire city block known at the time as the Pioneer Woolen Mill complex. The Ghirardelli Chocolate Company grew exponentially at the end of the 19th century, and the family hired architect William S. Mooser to renovate the entire complex. In the 1960s, the chocolate company moved to San Leandro, leaving a chocolate shop to carry on the legacy at Fisherman’s Wharf. But the history of San Francisco’s chocolate business lives on through the creation of Ghirardelli Square, a commercial area that preserved the original brick building and architectural details while inviting in new boutique shops and restaurants. Set on the San Francisco Bay, Ghirardelli Square has since become one of San Francisco’s most cherished attractions, charming thousands of visitors every year. The historic Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2016.
The Kendall Hotel (1894) Cambridge, Massachusetts
Former Fire Engine House
The origins of The Kendall Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts, harken back to the height of the Gilded Age. During the 1890s, the neighborhood of Kendall Square had rapidly emerged as one of Cambridge’s most industrialized areas. Due to the neighborhood’s growth, city officials extended a branch of the Cambridge Fire Department to the area. Engine 7, the new station, moved into a state-of-the-art engine house in 1894. Designed by architects R.J. Fitzgerald and S.D. Mitchell of Boston, it contained numerous technological innovations, including advanced steam pumpers, coal bunkers, and a novel fire engine. It was one of the region’s first single-purpose fire stations, and the Engine 7 Firehouse served Kendall Square until 1993. At that time, the historic Engine 7 moved to a new, modern headquarters. Left abandoned, the fate of the engine house appeared bleak until two preservationists made it their mission to save it. Charlotte Forsythe and her husband, Gerald Fandetti, petitioned the City of Cambridge to transform the former fire station into a boutique hotel. The city agreed, and sold the building to the couple. In 2000, renovations began to transform the fire station dormitories into modern guestrooms, and the firehouse into the hotel’s restaurant. The renovations also restored the building’s architecture, and the new owners took great pains to ensure that the fire station’s architectural integrity remained intact, as evidenced by their meticulous work revitalizing the building’s iconic cupola. Today, the décor is a creative and eclectic mix of historic fire station memorabilia and motifs, Victorian antiques, and contemporary art. The Kendall Hotel was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 2004.
St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton (1894) St. Louis, Missouri
Former Train Station
On September 1, 1894, St. Louis’s iconic Union Station—the future St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton—opened its doors. Local architect Theodore C. Link led its design: a magnificent, sprawling complex that stood as a masterpiece of American architecture. Link planned the Grand Hall to resemble a passageway inside a medieval castle; the walled French city of Carcassonne was his inspiration. Ornate details that can still be seen today proliferated throughout the space, such as spectacular gold leaf, wide stained-glass windows, and wall carvings made from Indiana limestone. A stunning, 65-foot-tall, barrel-vaulted ceiling crested the Grand Hall, anchored by a beautiful, wrought-iron chandelier. One of the United States’ largest and busiest train terminals at the time, Union Station was home to 22 railroads and 32 tracks in its heyday. Today, the transportation complex has undergone a renaissance that restored and respects its heritage. St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton is at the center of an award-winning family entertainment destination within the historic Victorian-era train terminal. The hotel’s guestrooms, meeting and event space, and Grand Hall have been fully renovated and expanded. Clock Tower Suites have train-themed décor, and each guestroom door is marked with the name of a railroad ticketing agent whose offices were once in that section of the building. The train shed is now the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station. Other entertainment at the complex includes the St. Louis Wheel, carousel, and mini golf. In the Grand Hall, where visitors can watch a 3D light show, the original stained glass and ornate plasterwork have been restored. Designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton was inducted into Historic Hotels of America in 1991.
The Lodge at the Presidio (1897) and Inn at the Presidio (1903) and San Francisco, California
Former U.S. Army Housing
Built in the shadow of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, The Lodge at the Presidio is San Francisco’s nearest hotel to the bridge and was constructed in 1897.
Contacts
Katherine Orr
Historic Hotels of America® │ Historic Hotels Worldwide®
Director, Marketing Strategy and Communications
Tel: +1-202-772-8337
korr@historichotels.org
