Ames represents authentic addition to Morgans’ collection of Originals: a carefully curated group of hotels which also includes Morgans, Royalton, Hudson, St Martins Lane, Clift and Shore Club.
Ames, designed by Rockwell Group in collaboration with the Morgans design team, is a blend of historical reference and up-to-date modernism. Located in the heart of the city, this 114-room hotel offers 107 guest rooms, one apartment and six deluxe one-bedroom suites.
The original Romanesque-Byzantine-inspired structure operated as the corporate headquarters for the Ames families’ agricultural tool company, a history that Rockwell Group and Morgans’ design team have adopted and interpreted through an entirely modern lens. The elegance and strength resonated by the city served as inspiration to the design team who preserved original fixtures such as the staircase, the lobby mosaic and the robust exterior, but selectively streamlined other aspects of the aesthetic and devotedly focused attention to detail and a sense of narrative continuity throughout the entire hotel.
The lobby features two original landmark elements: the mosaic, barrel-vaulted ceiling and the dramatic marble and brass staircase. The space feature ‘Mirror Chandelier’ or ‘Mirror Cloud’ installation, a fragmented sculpture created for Ames by London-based artists Sophie Nielsen and Rolf Knudsen of Studio Roso. Based on the ephemeral qualities of nature and the multiplying structural quality of a tree, the piece is inspired by the existing pattern in the vaulted ceiling, which also references nature.
On the wall behind the reception area is an installation made up of many pieces of hand cast porcelain. Just off of the lobby, the two-story restaurant pays homage to the modern-day dandy through its confidence, playfulness and rich aesthetic details.
Woodward is Morgans’ new restaurant-bar concept for Ames. The Victorian-inspired display is curated with hand-selected objects of inspiration and eye candy by Boston local artist Sally Brooks Moore. Each features a main bar as well as a dining area, with finishes inspired by bespoke men’s tailoring with subtle unexpected details. Windsor chairs in high gloss white lacquer finish, will be scattered throughout the restaurant, complimenting the wood paneled walls washed in milky enamel.
The illumination and levity of the rooms are enhanced by light oak flooring, 10 feet high ceilings, a cream-colored leather upholstered platform bed, and the frosted glass that gives a fluid continuity between the main room and the bathroom. All the guestrooms are adorned with a commissioned installation of souvenir style plates by artist and designer, Harry Allen.
The ninth floor apartment offers space for entertaining and events, featuring an expansive living and dining room, furnished with a vintage, tufted velvet chaise lounge, a sectional custom sofa and a glass and chrome cocktail table.
Morgans Hotel Group is an integrated hospitality company that operates, owns, acquires, develops and redevelops boutique hotels primarily in gateway cities and select resort markets in the US, Europe and in select international locations.
