US: New York boutique Hotel Henry is a former asylum
Guests can stay overnight in former patients’ room in Hotel Henry, launched this week in Buffalo, New York.
New York studio Deborah Berke Partners partially restored and redesigned the property as a hotel, along with Flynn Battaglia Architects and Goody Clancy, a preservation firm. The building has been abandoned since the asylum closed in the 1970s.
The hotel is set across three buildings, housing 88 rooms. The entryway has been upgraded into a modern glass box with stairs that lead to the hotel’s main lobby. Former patient rooms have been combined to form the guest rooms, designed to be quiet and serene, decorated with a neutral colour scheme.
New facilities include an architecture gallery, office spaces, lounge areas, and event spaces. Mixed in with remodelled elements, guests can find some details exactly as they were, including a winged staircase and original fireplaces and mouldings.
Stephen Brockman, Deborah Berke Partners’ senior principal and the lead designer said: “In a weird way, a hotel and a hospital have a lot of common [design] elements. It’s all about providing [people] with a lot of natural daylight and a lot of outdoor space.”
