The art of reinvention From fire stations to silos, five old buildings that have been repurposed into stunning new hotels by Camille Chin
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Doctor’s Review • JULY / AUGUST 2017
The art of reinvention From fire stations to silos, five old buildings that have been repurposed into stunning new hotels by Camille Chin
30
Doctor’s Review • JULY / AUGUST 2017
THE WAREHOUSE HOTEL, SINGAPORE If only the Warehouse Hotel had walls that could talk. The trio of gabled buildings on the bank of the Singapore River once sheltered aromatic spices on a street where palm and rice wines were being illegally distilled in alleyways and dark corners. The neighbourhood was run by Chinese and Fujianese secret societies: gambling and prostitution and opium were rampant. The three peaked-roof buildings were privy to it all; today, 100-plus years later, they guard the secrets of travellers as a chic 37-room hotel in Robertson Quay. Its industrial design boasts exposed brick walls, sleek black metal and custom lights modelled after pulleys. Rooms are done in taupe and grey accented with copper and green forest marble. There’s a rooftop infinity pool; the on-site restaurant called Pó features nine original, spice-infused cocktails inspired by the area’s naughty past. From about $235 a night*, double occupancy. thewarehousehotel.com.
THE DETROIT FOUNDATION HOTEL
*Note: all prices throughout are based on web searches.
JOE VAUGHN / FOUNDATION HOTEL
The fire engines are gone — and, sadly, so are the firemen — but some of the architectural details of Motor City’s former Fire Department Headquarters remain in what’s now the “industrial-chic” Foundation Hotel. Located in downtown Detroit across from the Cobo (Convention) Center, the five-storey Neoclassical goliath still boasts its iconic red firehouse doors. The storey-and-a half space that used to house fire trucks and equipment, and now the lobby and The Apparatus Room restaurant, features the original white-glazed brick walls. The building’s former life is celebrated in new ways too. A smokeinspired chandelier by artist Kim Harty hangs over a banquette table where fire hoses once hung to dry. The hotel’s 100 rooms are decorated in deep browns with pastel metallics, a nod to the colours of 1960-era automobiles. There are even cushy channel-tufted velvet sofas so guests can pretend they’re cruising in an old luxury Caddy. From US$219 a night, double occupancy. detroitfoundationhotel.com.
THE SILO, CAPE TOWN When Cape Town’s historic silo complex was built in 1924, it was the tallest structure in Sub-Saharan Africa. The 54-metre grain elevator still towers over the city’s waterfront, but, in March, it opened as the striking Silo Hotel. Its remarkable domed windows consist of hand-cut, multi-faceted glass that lets guests see what’s up, down and on each side. At night, the hotel resembles a modern-day lighthouse in the Table Bay harbour. The 28 rooms are eclectic with colourful furniture: hot pink bedroom rugs, huge teal headboards, yellow and green sofas and armchairs. The Granary Café is open to the public as are the spa and rooftop pool. You’ll also want to visit the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. It opens directly below the hotel in September. Admission is $20, which is way, way less than a hotel stay: about $1160 a night, double occupancy, including breakfast and museum entrance. theroyalportfolio. com/the-silo/overview.
THE NED, LONDON
COURTESY OF THE NED
If The Ned gives off an air of all business from the outside, it’s because the colossal, 252-room hotel and members’ club used to be the headquarters of London’s Midland Bank. Located across the street from the Bank of England in the city’s financial heartland, the building’s nine floors of high finance are now charming Edwardian-feeling rooms that feature brass bed frames, oak dressers, velvet club chairs, and textures and patterns inspired by the 1920s. There are seven public restaurants, a woman’s hair salon, a barbershop that serves beer, and a nail bar called Cheeky. Private spaces for members and/or overnight guests include a rooftop pool with views to the Gherkin and St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the very lavish Vault bar. The Vault’s original metre-thick metal door opens up to walls lined with 3600 safety deposit boxes, a chic new walnut bar and jewel-toned velvet furniture. From about $300 a night, double occupancy. thened.com.
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Doctor’s Review • JULY / AUGUST 2017
LE MONASTÈRE DES AUGUSTINES, QUEBEC CITY The airy rooms at Le Monastère des Augustines are all white and glass and steel, which makes sense because the wellness hotel is housed in a wing of what was once the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec. Established in 1639 by three sisters from the Augustinian Order, it was the continent’s first hospital north of Mexico. But that’s not to say that the hotel is sterile and uninspiring.
Rooms also feature aged wooden beams and pretty windows with shutters, centuries-old furniture and lovely quilts. TVs and telephones are missing; wi-fi is available. The 33 “authentic” rooms (from $84 per person, a night) each have a sink and share six bathrooms; the 32 “contemporary” rooms (from $104 per person) have new ensuites. There’s an onsite museum (admission $10) with 40,000 artifacts drawn from the 12 former monastery hospitals in Quebec. Breakfast is included and served in silence to honour the tradition of the nuns. monastere.ca/en.
JULY / AUGUST 2017 • Doctor’s
Review
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