The Charles Street Jail (built 1851), also known as the Suffolk County Jail, is an infamous former jail (later renovated into a luxury hotel) located at 215 Charles Street, Boston, Massachusetts. It is listed in the state and national Registers of Historic Places. The Liberty Hotel, as it is now known, has retained much of its historic structure, including the famed rotunda.
Boston, 1852. Detail from: Henry McIntyre's "Map of the City of Boston and Immediate Neighborhood."Aerial view of Suffolk County jail, late 20th century
The jail was proposed by MayorMartin 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 and 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 (27 m) 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 by 10 feet (2.4 m × 3.0 m).
Over the years, the jail housed a number of famous inmates including John White Webster, James Michael Curley, Malcolm X, and Sacco and Vanzetti. Suffragists imprisoned for protests when President Woodrow Wilson visited Boston in February 1919 included Josephine Collins (Framingham), Betty Connolly (West Newton), Martha Foley (Dorchester), Frances Fowler (Brookline), Nellie Gross (Mrs. J. Irving Gross, Boston), and Rosa Heinzen Roewer (Belmont). They were imprisoned for eight (8) days.[2] Also imprisoned were World War II prisoners of war from the German submarines U-234 and U-873. The commanding officer of the latter U-boat, who died in the jail, was the brother of Operation Paperclip rocket scientist Ernst Steinhoff.[3]
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 close until 1990. On Memorial Day of that year, prisoners were moved to the new Nashua Street Jail on Nashua Street.
The former Charles Street Jail building is now owned by Massachusetts General Hospital. It was redesigned by Cambridge Seven Associates[4] 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. The Liberty Hotel, as it is now known, has retained much of the building's historic structure, including the famed rotunda. A 16-story guest room addition during construction was designed to approximate the existing structure around it.[5]
Former inmatesedit
Elmer "Trigger" Burke - mob hit man. Escaped from the jail following his arrest for murder.
John J. Divivo - Hijacker/murderer. Hung himself in the jail.
William M. Forgrave - temperance activist turned stock broker. Convicted of larceny. Allegedly ran a bookmaking operation in the jail during the reign of Sheriff John F. Dowd
^"Boston's Charles Street Jail Now Hosts Guests as The Liberty Hotel". Adapt + Reuse. 1 September 2020.
^Zinn, Howard (2002). You can't be neutral on a moving train : a personal history of our times. Boston. ISBN9780807071274. OCLC 50704670.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
George M Cushing, Great Buildings of Boston a Photographic Guide, Courier Dover Publications, 1982, page 42. ISBN0-486-24219-6.
Massachusetts General Hospital history
Further readingedit
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.
McMaster, Joseph (2015). Charles Street Jail. Images of America. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN9781467134132.
White, Jonathan W. (2023). Shipwrecked: A True Civil War Story of Mutinies, Jailbreaks, Blockade-Running, and the Slave Trade. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. This book discusses the Charles Street Jail because Appleton Oaksmith was imprisoned in it and escaped from it.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charles Street Jail.
The Liberty Hotel
Charles Street Jail by Joseph McMaster
Charles Street Jail by The Daily Reporter
April 10, 2024
charles, street, jail, built, 1851, also, known, suffolk, county, jail, infamous, former, jail, later, renovated, into, luxury, hotel, located, charles, street, boston, massachusetts, listed, state, national, registers, historic, places, liberty, hotel, known,. The Charles Street Jail built 1851 also known as the Suffolk County Jail is an infamous former jail later renovated into a luxury hotel located at 215 Charles Street Boston Massachusetts It is listed in the state and national Registers of Historic Places The Liberty Hotel as it is now known has retained much of its historic structure including the famed rotunda Suffolk County JailU S National Register of Historic PlacesShow map of BostonShow map of MassachusettsShow map of the United StatesLocationBoston MassachusettsCoordinates42 21 43 N 71 4 13 W 42 36194 N 71 07028 W 42 36194 71 07028Built1851ArchitectGridley J F BryantNRHP reference No 80000670 1 Added to NRHPApril 23 1980 Contents 1 History 2 Former inmates 3 See also 4 References 5 Further reading 6 External linksHistory edit nbsp Boston 1852 Detail from Henry McIntyre s Map of the City of Boston and Immediate Neighborhood nbsp Aerial view of Suffolk County jail late 20th centuryThe 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 and 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 27 m 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 by 10 feet 2 4 m 3 0 m Over the years the jail housed a number of famous inmates including John White Webster James Michael Curley Malcolm X and Sacco and Vanzetti Suffragists imprisoned for protests when President Woodrow Wilson visited Boston in February 1919 included Josephine Collins Framingham Betty Connolly West Newton Martha Foley Dorchester Frances Fowler Brookline Nellie Gross Mrs J Irving Gross Boston and Rosa Heinzen Roewer Belmont They were imprisoned for eight 8 days 2 Also imprisoned were World War II prisoners of war from the German submarines U 234 and U 873 The commanding officer of the latter U boat who died in the jail was the brother of Operation Paperclip rocket scientist Ernst Steinhoff 3 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 close until 1990 On Memorial Day of that year prisoners were moved to the new Nashua Street Jail on Nashua Street The former Charles Street Jail building is now owned by Massachusetts General Hospital It was redesigned by Cambridge Seven Associates 4 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 The Liberty Hotel as it is now known has retained much of the building s historic structure including the famed rotunda A 16 story guest room addition during construction was designed to approximate the existing structure around it 5 Former inmates editElmer Trigger Burke mob hit man Escaped from the jail following his arrest for murder Josephine Collins suffragist John J Divivo Hijacker murderer Hung himself in the jail William M Forgrave temperance activist turned stock broker Convicted of larceny Allegedly ran a bookmaking operation in the jail during the reign of Sheriff John F Dowd William Monroe Trotter civil rights activist Shunsuke Tsurumi 6 See also editNational Register of Historic Places listings in northern Boston MassachusettsReferences edit National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service January 23 2007 Suffragists in Massachusetts Turning Point Suffragist Memorial 30 July 2017 Friedrich Steinhoff Gudmundur Helgason Retrieved 2012 10 05 C7A com Archived July 8 2011 at the Wayback Machine Boston s Charles Street Jail Now Hosts Guests as The Liberty Hotel Adapt Reuse 1 September 2020 Zinn Howard 2002 You can t be neutral on a moving train a personal history of our times Boston ISBN 9780807071274 OCLC 50704670 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link George M Cushing Great Buildings of Boston a Photographic Guide Courier Dover Publications 1982 page 42 ISBN 0 486 24219 6 Massachusetts General Hospital historyFurther reading editInmates 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 McMaster Joseph 2015 Charles Street Jail Images of America Charleston South Carolina Arcadia Publishing ISBN 9781467134132 White Jonathan W 2023 Shipwrecked A True Civil War Story of Mutinies Jailbreaks Blockade Running and the Slave Trade Lanham Maryland Rowman amp Littlefield This book discusses the Charles Street Jail because Appleton Oaksmith was imprisoned in it and escaped from it External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charles Street Jail The Liberty Hotel Cambridge Seven Associates Project Page Ann Beha Architects Project Page Charles Street Jail by Joseph McMaster Charles Street Jail by The Daily Reporter Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Charles Street Jail amp oldid 1176438392 History, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
