Charles Street Jail
Encyclopedia
The Charles Street Jail or "Suffolk County Jail" is a historic former jail (now a luxury hotel) located at 215 Charles Street, Boston
, Massachusetts
. It is listed in the state and national Registers of Historic Places.
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The jail was proposed by Mayor
Martin Brimmer
in his 1843 inaugural address as a replacement for the Leverett Street Jail
which had been built in 1822. Normally jails of this sort were county institutions, but, since Boston, then and now, dominates Suffolk County, Mayor Brimmer was a key player in the jail's planning and development.
The jail was constructed between 1848-1851 to plans by architect Gridley James Fox Bryant
and the advice of prison reformer, Rev. Louis Dwight, who designed it according to the 1790s humanitarian scheme pioneered in England known as the Auburn Plan. The original jail was built in the form of a cross with four wings of Quincy granite extending from a central, octagonal rotunda
with a 90-foot-tall atrium
. The wings allowed segregation of prisoners by sex and category of offense, and thirty arched windows, each 33 feet high, provided ventilation and natural light. The original jail contained 220 granite cells, each 8 feet by 10 feet.
Over the years, the jail has housed a number of famous inmates including James Michael Curley
, Malcolm X
, Sacco and Vanzetti
, suffragists imprisoned for protests when President Woodrow Wilson visited Boston in 1919, and World War II prisoners from the German submarine Unterseeboot 234
.
In 1973, the US District Court ruled that, because of overcrowding, the jail violated the constitutional rights of the prisoners housed there. Nonetheless, the prison did not officially close until 1990. On Memorial Day of that year, prisoners were moved to the new Suffolk County Jail on Nashua Street.
The building is now owned by the Massachusetts General Hospital
. It has since been redesigned by Cambridge Seven Associates
and Ann Beha Architects, and reopened in the summer of 2007 as a 300-room luxury hotel with a number of high end bars and restaurants, operated by MTM Luxury Lodging. The Liberty Hotel, as it is now known, has retained much of the historic structure, including the famed rotunda.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It is listed in the state and national Registers of Historic Places.
History
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
Martin Brimmer
Martin Brimmer
Martin Brimmer was an American businessman and politician, who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, in the Boston Board of Alderman, and as the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts.-Early life:...
in his 1843 inaugural address as a replacement for the Leverett Street Jail
Leverett Street Jail
The Leverett Street Jail in Boston, Massachusetts served as the city and county prison for some three decades in the mid-19th century. Inmates included John White Webster...
which had been built in 1822. Normally jails of this sort were county institutions, but, since Boston, then and now, dominates Suffolk County, Mayor Brimmer was a key player in the jail's planning and development.
The jail was constructed between 1848-1851 to plans by architect Gridley James Fox Bryant
Gridley James Fox Bryant
Gridley James Fox Bryant was a famous 19th century Boston architect and builder. His work was seen in custom houses, government buildings, churches, schoolhouses, and private residences across the United States.Bryant was born to Marcia Winship Fox and Gridley Bryant, noted railway pioneer...
and the advice of prison reformer, Rev. Louis Dwight, who designed it according to the 1790s humanitarian scheme pioneered in England known as the Auburn Plan. The original jail was built in the form of a cross with four wings of Quincy granite extending from a central, octagonal rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
with a 90-foot-tall atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
. The wings allowed segregation of prisoners by sex and category of offense, and thirty arched windows, each 33 feet high, provided ventilation and natural light. The original jail contained 220 granite cells, each 8 feet by 10 feet.
Over the years, the jail has housed a number of famous inmates including James Michael Curley
James Michael Curley
James Michael Curley was an American politician famous for his four terms as mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. He also served twice in the United States House of Representatives and one term as 53rd Governor of Massachusetts.-Early life:Curley's father, Michael Curley, left Oughterard, County...
, Malcolm X
Malcolm X
Malcolm X , born Malcolm Little and also known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz , was an African American Muslim minister and human rights activist. To his admirers he was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its...
, Sacco and Vanzetti
Sacco and Vanzetti
Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were anarchists who were convicted of murdering two men during a 1920 armed robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts, United States...
, suffragists imprisoned for protests when President Woodrow Wilson visited Boston in 1919, and World War II prisoners from the German submarine Unterseeboot 234
Unterseeboot 234
German submarine U-234 was a Type XB U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.Her first and only mission into enemy territory consisted of the attempted delivery of uranium oxide and other German advanced weapons technology to the Empire of Japan...
.
In 1973, the US District Court ruled that, because of overcrowding, the jail violated the constitutional rights of the prisoners housed there. Nonetheless, the prison did not officially close until 1990. On Memorial Day of that year, prisoners were moved to the new Suffolk County Jail on Nashua Street.
The building is now owned by the Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
. It has since been redesigned by Cambridge Seven Associates
Cambridge Seven Associates
Cambridge Seven Associates, Inc. is an American architecture firm founded in 1962 and based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The firm was founded upon the idea that the collaborative efforts of a varied group of designers and architects would be far more effective than those of any one individual...
and Ann Beha Architects, and reopened in the summer of 2007 as a 300-room luxury hotel with a number of high end bars and restaurants, operated by MTM Luxury Lodging. The Liberty Hotel, as it is now known, has retained much of the historic structure, including the famed rotunda.
Further reading
- Inmates of Charles Street Jail v. Eisenstadt, 360 F.Supp. 677 (D.Mass. 1973).
- 577 F.2d 761. INMATES OF SUFFOLK COUNTY JAIL et al., Plaintiffs, Appellees, v. Dennis J. KEARNEY et al., Defendants, Appellees, Boston City Councillors, Defendants, Appellants. No. 78-1216. United States Court of Appeals, First Circuit. Argued June 9, 1978. Decided June 15, 1978.