If these historic hotels could talk, we're sure they'd have a whole lot to say. From converted Neolithic caves in Italy to a female-run brewery turned boutique stay in San Antonio, here are 9 properties with ultra interesting past lives.
The Liberty Hotel, Boston, MA
Ask a local and they'll probably be able spill a whole lot about the historic Liberty Hotel. The Boston Granite style building was an operating jail until 1990, after all. Built in 1851, the Charles Street Jail imprisoned some pretty high-profile felons — including Malcolm X — within its 220 cells. But by 1990, after decades of complaints from prisoners over poor living conditions, the jail was shuttered, and by 2001, it was being converted into a 298-room luxury hotel with Charles River views. Pop by today and you’ll find that the Beacon Hill stay has done much to preserve its past. You’ll still find the jail’s iconic rotunda, soaring atrium, wrought-iron bars, and exercise yard — a manicured courtyard, in its current incarnation.
LIFE Hotel, NYC
Later this year, the LIFE Hotel will be giving LIFE magazine's former Herald Square HQ a second chance at Golden Age glory. The NoMad boutique will open in April and feature 90-something rooms done up in 1920s-style decor, honoring the Beaux-Arts building's past. Prior to becoming the LIFE Hotel, the former office also functioned as writers' and editors' apartments, a speakeasy, and the Herald Square Hotel.
Ace Hotel Pittsburgh, PA
The Ace Hotel brand has a thing for locally-inspired design – just ask its 9 outposts, all of which capitalize on their building's rich history and architecture. One of the more recent additions, Ace Hotel Pittsburgh, remains true to the brand’s ethos by cozying up in a five-story former YMCA building. Working off of the boys' club’s existing foundation, it features original terrazzo flooring, a grand wrought-iron and marble staircase, original wainscoting and moulding, and a three story gym (two indoor track levels hover above the main floor) replete with restored murals.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider