Boston ยท Back Bay
Fairmont Copley Plaza
Henry Hardenbergh, architect of New York's Plaza, designed this 1912 Copley Square hotel, where John Singer Sargent often stayed.
- Built
- 1912Opened 1912 as the Copley Plaza Hotel (HHA); MACRIS records a 1911 construction date.
- Style
- Renaissance Revival
- Architect
- Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (MACRIS also lists Clarence H. Blackall)
- Type
- Grand hotel
- Area
- Back Bay
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district; Local landmark; Historic Hotels of America member
The story
Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, architect of New York’s Plaza Hotel, designed the seven-story limestone and buff-brick hotel on the former site of the Museum of Fine Arts; it opened in 1912 with Mayor John F. Fitzgerald presiding at the reception. John Singer Sargent stayed often in its early years and used elevator operator Thomas McKeller as a model for his Apollo. Sheraton bought the hotel in 1944, John Hancock Insurance in 1973, Harvard University in 1989 and Fairmont in 1996; Fairmont still manages it for later owners.
Good to know
- Parking: on-site paid
- Pets welcome
- Address: 138 St. James Avenue, Boston, MA 02116
Things to do
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Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.