The Ames Building is a historic 13-story building, located at 1 Court Street, that became Boston’s first skyscraper when it was constructed in 1893. Not only is it the oldest skyscraper in Boston, but it’s also the 10th oldest skyscraper in the world.
In the early 17th century, the land that the Ames Building currently sits on was the home of Reverend Henry Dunster who later became the first president of Harvard College in 1640.
Located next to the property, in the middle of Washington Street, was where the town dug the first well in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1712, the Old State House was built across the street at the intersection of State and Washington Streets.
In the 19th century, the site that the Ames Building sits on was home to a granite commercial building, which housed a popular hat store on the first floor and law offices on the second floor, but the building was demolished in 1889 to make way for the Ames Building.
The building permit for the Ames Building was issued on December 11, 1889 and the construction was completed 20 months later in 1893, costing somewhere between $600,000 and $700,000 to build.
The 190-foot-tall building was constructed for local real estate developer Frederick Lathrop Ames and designed by architecture firm of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.
It was constructed from sandstone sourced in Ohio and utilized the latest in elevator technology. The building’s facade features detailed blue slate and red sandstone with intricate decorative carvings.
Despite the fact that the building was constructed out of stone instead of steel, it is still considered Boston’s first skyscraper due to its height and form.
The building housed the offices of the Old Colony Trust Co, the Bank of Nova Scotia as well as the corporate headquarters of the Ames Agricultural Tool Company.
It remained Boston’s tallest skyscraper until the Custom House Tower was built in 1915. In 1946, the Ames Real Estate Trust sold the building to the World-Radio Corporation for $165,000.
On May 26, 1974, the Ames Building was added to the National Register of Historic Buildings. In 1993, the building was designated a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission. It continued to serve as an office building until 1999 when it became vacant.
The building was eventually purchased by Normandy Real Estate Partners and Ames Hotel Partners for $17.7 million in 2007 and turned into a luxury boutique hotel named the Ames Boston Hotel.
In 2018, Boston Magazine ranked the Ames Building at number 87 on its list of the 100 best buildings in Boston.
In September of 2019, Suffolk University purchased the building for $63.5 million and converted it into a student residence hall which opened in the fall of 2020.
Source:
“The Ames Building.” Boston Landmarks Commission Report, 1993, file:///C:/Users/16039/Downloads/the_f.l._ames_building_114.pdf
“Historic Building Detail: BOS.1678 The Ames Building.” MACRIS, mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=BOS.1678
“The 100 Best Buildings in Boston.” Boston Magazine, 25 July. 2018,bostonmagazine.com/property/2018/07/25/100-best-boston-buildings/
Norwood, Katelyn. “Suffolk gets approval to open One Court Street as residence hall this fall.” The Suffolk Journal, 16 May. 2020, thesuffolkjournal.com/29405/news/suffolk-gets-approval-to-open-one-court-street-as-residence-hall-this-fall/
River, Sofia. “The Ames Hotel Has Closed to Make Room for Suffolk Students.” Boston Magazine, 23 Sept. 2019, bostonmagazine.com/property/2019/09/23/ames-hotel-closing/
“History | Ames Building | Boutique Hotel | Ames Boston Hotel” Ames Boston Hotel, www.ameshotel.com/explore-hotel/ames-hotel-history/
“Ames Boston Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton.” Historic Hotels of America, historichotels.org/hotels-resorts/ames-boston-hotel/
“10 Oldest Skyscrapers in the World.” Oldest.org, oldest.org/structures/skyscrapers/