This Historic Boston Jail Is a Luxury Hotel With Incredible Views of the City

The Liberty may be the only place you'd pay to dine behind bars.

For more than a century, people tried their best to avoid spending a night in Boston's Charles Street Jail. These days, however, people willingly check themselves in — and pay for the privilege to do so. When the 19th-century jail became the Liberty Hotel more than 150 years after the penitentiary first opened, much of the building's storied history and structure had been preserved. Inside you'll find mezzanines characteristic of correctional facilities, exposing stories of former cells, some even adorned with their original features.

The building is thought to be one of the best examples of "Boston Granite Style" popular during the mid-19th century. It was a collaboration between architect Gridley James Fox Bryant, one of Boston's most accomplished architects of the time, and Rev. Louis Dwight, a Yale-educated penologist who advocated for prison reform.

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After a long history, the last Charles Street Jail prisoners were moved from the jail in 1990, and the building's transformation began. The property now features 298 contemporary rooms and suites, sweeping views of the Charles River and the Boston skyline, and a covetable location in the heart of the picturesque Beacon Hill neighborhood.

With ample event space, Marriott's Liberty Hotel hosts weekly gallery nights, live music, and interactive fashion shows — much of it for free. Guests are also able to arrange a historical tour of the hotel for an in-depth history of the storied building.

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