A Train Station? A Jail? These Hotels Were Once Something Else

For your next travel adventure, why stay in a regular hotel when you can stay in a famous jail? Or a train station?

There’s a new flock of hotels, in the U.S. and abroad, that are part of the adaptive re-use movement, where existing buildings are recycled and refurbished into something new. Here are some examples of adapted hotels, identified by room booking app HotelTonight.

Consider The Liberty in Boston, for example. A large city jail completed in 1851, the jail housed criminals for over 100 years until inmates revolted in protest over poor living conditions. The last inmates were moved out of the jail during Memorial Day 1990.

A prime example of “Boston Granite Style,” the luxury property was restored in the early 2000’s using architect Gridley James Fox Bryant’s original plans for a light-filled building featuring a soaring 90-foot tall atrium. The prison’s catwalks remain, and are accessible to hotel guests. The jail’s former drunk tank cells remain; they now function as Alibi, the hotel’s downstairs bar, which is decorated with celebrity mug shots.

In Nashville, you’ll find the Union Station Hotel, which is now a luxury property but originally opened as the city’s main train station in 1900. For nearly 100 years, the station operated in the center of Nashville. Following a $15.5 million renovation, the hotel now features 125 rooms amid historic touches such as 65-foot vaulted ceiling, marble floors and 100-year-old stained glass windows.

In Chicago, check out the Chicago Athletic Association, which first opened its doors in the 1890s before becoming the home of jazz and elite social gatherings for over 100 years. Now named the Chicago Athletic Hotel, rarefied touches, such as sweeping staircases, twinkling chandeliers and leather accents, remain.

Overseas, you’ll find the Pestana Amsterdam Riverside, which was originally a 19th-century town hall building with a bell tower. Now a gorgeous five-star hotel in Amsterdam’s trendy De Pijp neighborhood, the property is designated a national monument.

For truly grand views, check out the Grand Hotel Amrâth Kurhaus in the Netherlands. The majestic building, steps from the beach at the Hague, debuted as a hotel in 1818, when visitors across Europe flocked to the seaside resort. In 1885, the Kurhaus officially opened, and established itself as the destination for concerts and grand dinners.

Sydney’s Ovolo Woolloomooloo, a boutique hotel catering to a vibrant young clientele, is built on the site of the city’s first fish market (1872-1910) and was once the disembarking site for troops during World War II.

Lastly, stay on the law and order theme while visiting London. If you liked the Liberty in Boston, consider the Courthouse Hotel in London’s trendy Shoreditch. The former Old Street Magistrates Court and Police Station once held Eric Blair, better known as “1984” author George Orwell.

Today, the Courthouse features a wood-paneled bar, the Members Bar, in what used to be the juvenile courts; a hotel restaurant called Judge & Jury; and the swank Jailhouse Bar, which retains some of its former jail cells, available for hire as private VIP rooms.

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.