Opened in 1959, the Fenway Motor Hotel witnessed a musical and cultural phenomenon in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. With radio station WBCN next door and artists such as Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin playing in venues nearby, the hotel already had a host of historical inspirations to celebrate in its recent redesign.
“The building’s new owner asked us to reconnect the best of Boston’s rock ’n’ roll past with the spirited culture of today’s Fenway,” explains Elizabeth Lowrey, principal and director of interior architecture at Elkus Manfredi Architects. Although the owner did not require the firm to keep any of the former motor inn’s original elements, the existing site plan “created the sense of an oasis in the midst of the densely eclectic heart of Boston’s Fenway neighborhood,” she adds. “We chose to keep and enhance the elements that created that oasis.”
By retaining the footprint of the motel and the guestrooms, the redesigned hotel, christened the Verb, still feels like an authentic midcentury motor inn complete with a courtyard pool and parking outside the rooms. The Verb—named not only for its literal definition but its connection to a musical reverb—immerses guests immediately in the era with a refurbished 1947 vintage Flxible Clipper Motor Coach tour bus parked up front. The firm designed its retro interior to include a sitting area, bar, kitchen, bathroom, and lounge area that guests can freely explore.
Inside the hotel, the lobby’s original brick walls combine with rock artifacts and a pink skylight, which illuminates a black and white floor. “The design draws upon the friendly, warm, and casual partying spirit of those times and carries that sensibility forward into the present, playing with a spirited, irreverent sense of humor throughout,” says Lowrey. A vibrant yellow banquette, sheepskin throws, and cowhide rugs are retro touches, while a vintage Realistic LAB 440 turntable and a bin of 150 vintage vinyl albums from local artists and beyond invite guests to immerse themselves in the music of the times.
“Because there was so much good history, context, culture, and architecture to work with, it was tempting to become thematic in our design for the Verb,” Lowrey says. “We needed to maintain self-discipline to design a truly authentic environment.”
The guestroom casegoods, including the bed, dresser, desk, wardrobe closet, and vanity, were custom-designed to echo midcentury furniture. Tongue-in-cheek touches like a retro typewriter, clock, and telephone combine with clean-lined midcentury-inspired materials, color-blocked windows, and light fixtures. “I love the drama of the dark, moody corridors and how upon opening a room door, the guest is suddenly immersed in light—the sunny room, bright with the light-filled glow of the colored windows,” she adds.
Playful elements such as an ironing board cover inspired by 1959 film Some Like it Hot and pages of the Boston Phoenix from the 1960s and 1970s add humor to the spaces. Cowhide rugs and a ceiling light pendant reminiscent of a record complete the look.
“The Verb’s design can be summed up as the rock heyday of the Fenway re-imagined for today’s guest,’” says Lowrey. “The result is a little provocative, a little nostalgic, a lot hip.”
