TOURISTS

The 48-room hotel is situated along historic Route 2 in North Adams, greeting visitors and locals between cultural anchors The Clark Art Institute and MASS MoCA. The project is the first phase in an expansive, site-specific enterprise that will include a performance venue curated by Wilco bassist John Stirratt and a new restaurant led by James Beard-winner Courtney Burns.

The project’s architecture incorporates several buildings from a postwar roadside motel, and the owners have sought other more extensive connections to the larger history of the site and its surroundings overlooking the Hoosic River. It was once a site of intense industrial output, including a hydro-powered textile mill, a leather tannery, factory and storage, and a sewer water treatment plant.

At TOURISTS, specifically, Reed Hilderbrand carved away decades of junkfill to rescue adjacent wetlands and re-established the native river bluff embankment, creating programmable spaces within the site and mitigating noise from Route 2. A salt-water pool is set within the landform to create a unique space associated with the riparian character of adjacent wetlands and the Hoosic River.

Working closely with the client and project architect, Reed Hilderbrand selected materials for gathering spaces on the property with simple palettes that reflected the overall aesthetic, including a white oak deck dotted with large sugar maple trees, and catenary lighting to create a lively space for evening gatherings.