Restoring the Past

Boston is entrenched in history. From the Freedom Trail to the Bunker Hill Monument, it’s hard to go a block without reveling in one of the hundreds of historical monuments. And while The Godfrey Boston is mere blocks away from some of these main landmarks, you don’t have to leave our hotel to experience the city’s rich past.

As previously mentioned, our hotel is a complete restoration of the Amory and Blake buildings, which were once the center of Boston’s shopping district. Working together with Spillane, we’re bringing the Amory and Blake back to life and restoring their original beauty, which we shared a sneak peak of earlier this week. In fact, the three main areas we’re working to restore -the facade, the elevator lobby and the interior-facing light wells – are historically protected by the National Register of Historic Places.

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The original facade of the Amory and Blake buildings
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Intricate details being restored on the facade of the hotel

Upon entering The Godfrey, you’ll see the building’s past married with its future. The walkway leading up to the front desk will start out as a matte, textured marble that displays the brick and other original materials used. The floor will then gradually transition to highly polished dark marble that signifies the decidedly modern design of The Godfrey and the future of these two historic buildings.

As you head up to your guest room, you’ll notice another nod to the past. The elevator vestibule boasts the original marble walls and ornate ceilings of the Blake. We’ll update this area to be mainly monochromatic white while maintaining and paying homage to the intricate detail.

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The ornate molding work above the elevators
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The gorgeous ceiling being restored

If you’re staying in an interior-facing guest room, you’ll have the privilege to overlook our historically-preserved courtyard. It might not look like much at this point in the restoration, but it’s set to be a gorgeous respite from the bustling streets outside.

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The interior light well being restored
Godfrey Boston
Historically preserved light well

There are still a lot of changes in progress, but the restoration is coming along quickly. Stay tuned for more updates on our historically protected areas in future posts.

Every Detail Counts

To us, every detail counts as we continue to build our hotel.  We are paying close attention to areas we feel are the most important to our future guests, along with other details that just make for a pleasant, smooth experience.  Some may even go unnoticed to the leisure traveler as well – simply just elevating our hotel with luxurious touches.

The outside facade of our buildings are being restored and maintaining some of the original detail is important.  As previously mentioned in this post, our hotel will be a complete renovation and build of the historic Amory and Blake buildings.  We are restoring the outside of the buildings, including great attention to the architecture renovation.

We are working with Spillane, which has strong roots and history in building restoration throughout Massachusetts.  Spillane has been restoring architecture for decades including other projects for Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, YWCA and more.

In the following photo, you can see the ornate detail that Spillane is restoring.

Outside Architecture Restoration
Outside Architecture Restoration
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A full view of the hotel’s restoration in progress, including the unique detail off the second floor, which is being conducted by Spillane.

More detail coming soon on our restoration and the main areas we’re focused on.  Stay tuned!

Memorable Design Inspired by Cubism

We were honored to have Damjana Domanovac, Editor in Chief of the Croatian outlet and leading European tourist magazine Putovanja Za Dvoje, stay with us recently. The story, which will appear in Slovenian and German editions this fall, recognizes The Godfrey Hotel Chicago for its unique architectural design and indoor/outdoor events space. 

A Google translation from the article says:

The memorable design of The Godfrey Hotel Chicago includes a beautiful facade inspired by Cubism. Every detail at this hotel was developed according to the wishes and expectations of visitors. Located in the city center, the hotel is near a multitude of interesting attractions, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Science and Industry, Millennium Park, Theater District, Willis Tower, John Hancock Observatory, Lincoln Park Zoo and many others. The hotel looks very nice and modern, and has 221 comfortable and spacious room. The fourth floor extends to almost 1400 m2 of indoor and outdoor space, and even 900 m2 of waste the space for organizing various events and business meetings. The Godfrey Chicago is a part of the brand The Godfrey Hotel, which boasts impressive architecture and interior design.

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We pride ourselves on being a symbol of the Chicago skyline, and for hosting a wide variety of events on the Chicago social scene. To learn more about our hotel, and to make reservations for your next stay or event, visit our website at godfreyhotelchicago.com.

Retractable Roof Education by Libart

Installing a retractable roof system like the one at IO Urban Roofscape takes much planning and preparation. Libart North America’s recent blog post explains how architects took a special retractable roof course with Libart Project Manager Jeff Manger prior to construction of The Godfrey Hotel Chicago.

Libart Project Manager Jeff Manger taught architects about retractable roof systems.
Libart Project Manager Jeff Manger taught architects about retractable roof systems. (libartusa.com)

IO Urban Roofscape encompasses approximately 15,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, with 10,000 square feet of lounge and event space – named for its captivating Indoor/Outdoor ambiance. Get started at the indoor bar with plush banquettes and a VIP area. Breeze through the sliding glass wall and you’ll find yourself sipping drinks at the outdoor bar during the day, after work, at night or on weekends in front of the commanding views of Chicago.

Indoor/outdoor paradise with our retractable roof system.
Indoor/outdoor paradise with our retractable roof system.

Experience IO Urban Roofscape, where you can enjoy the day and dress the night. Follow on Twitter and Instagram at @iogodfrey, or plan your next event. You can even see some of the various daytime or evening events we have hosted in the past by clicking here.

 

The Exterior. Up She Goes.

Well it is Friday and we wanted to show you the exterior. Cold, wind, snow, rain, it doesn’t stop LendLease our construction company from moving forward.  When we had some beautiful sun the past couple days before this last snow storm, the new exterior skin was being applied to the building.  This is a very difficult project as the entire outside is placed on the building like a puzzle.  We are excited to see it go up over the next several weeks and give the building that distinct architectural look it was meant to have.

The entire process of building a hotel and brand is sectioned out into phases.  Each phase has its scope of work and what is to be completed and when.  It may seem like you are jumping around but in the big picture these phases are all related to each other and have to be completed in order.

Architectural Design Godfrey Hotel Chicago

South side exterior Godfrey Hotel