Contemporary Building Historic District

Chestnut Street Townhouse // 2016

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It is uncommon to see new construction in Boston’s historic Beacon Hill, but when it happens, hundreds of eyes closely scrutinize and analyze the design to belong in one of America’s most coveted neighborhoods. The rare opportunity for infill construction occurred on this site on Chestnut Street. An 1860s stable building that was later converted into a residence and art studio in the 1920s as Beacon Hill Flat gentrified as an artist enclave, was listed for sale in 2013. The townhouse featured leaded-glass windows and Tudor elements at the interior and on its rear facade and was purchased by a developer who, after inspection, noted structural deficiencies in the building. After inspections by the City and a request to the Beacon Hill Architectural Commission, it was approved for demolition, but the replacement design would be scrutinized. Hacin, architects, brought forward plans for a new townhouse, which employed similar materials, massing, and fenestration typical for this area of Beacon Hill, but with contemporary finishes that blends old with new in a way that the new structure does not stand out nor detract from the surrounding streetscape. Through hearings, details like the window types and color of the brick were analyzed to slightly deviate from the existing fabric of the neighborhood, distinguishing the new construction as contemporary. What do you think of this new townhouse on the Flat of Beacon Hill?

The Whitney Hotel // 2019

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The Whitney Hotel on the iconic Charles Street in Beacon Hill, represents the best of contextual infill construction and good design. Completed in 2019, the hotel was built on an open lot adjacent to the 1909 Eye and Ear Infirmary Nurse’s Residence that sold in 2016. Developers hired Boston architectural design firm of Hacin to construct the new structure as an addition to the 1909 building. As the building is located within the Historic Beacon Hill District, a local commission closely reviewed plans to ensure the new building would blend old and new on the site, while being its own landmark on the prominent corner lot. The scale, massing, materials and rhythm of windows ties the 2019 contemporary wing with the 1909 building, while the brick layering styles, window types and unique rounded corner read clearly contemporary. The hotel is named after Henry Melville Whitney (1839-1923) a Boston politician and businessman who founded the West End Street Railway Company, which preceded the Metropolitan Transit Authority and today’s MBTA. The Whitney Hotel serves as an important visual anchor and entrance into Beacon Hill, enlivening the street and neighborhood through high-quality design.