South Coast Improvement Company completed construction on this project to convert an unoccupied, abandoned, historic mixed-use building in downtown New Bedford into a luxury 70-room hotel. The new hotel, the New Bedford Harbor Hotel opened in mid-July 2018.
This historic hotel conversion project consisted of a complete exterior renovation and a full interior build-out of the 46,000-square-foot building in the heart of the downtown, located at the corner of Union and Pleasant Streets. The New Bedford Harbor Hotel has 70 rooms, a 3,300-square-foot restaurant and bar, and a 5,100-square-foot banquet space. The restaurant employs just over 50 employees, 42 of whom are New Bedford residents.
The City of New Bedford provided significant infrastructure support to the hotel project during its concurrent roadwork and infrastructure improvements to Union Street, taking the operation of a hotel at the heart of the downtown into consideration during the design and planning of the Union Street reconstruction project.
Highlights of the work included the gutting of the five-story building, which formerly housed the radio station, WSBM. It also featured complete mechanical, electrical, and plumbing upgrades, and reconfiguration throughout the facility. Part of that effort was the installation of a shower, toilet, and sink in each of the rooms. We modernized and upgraded the elevators to current code requirements while keeping bound within Historical Society guidelines.
Project Highlights included:
- Abatement of Hazardous Materials
- Heavy Timber Construction
- All New MEP, Electrical Service, and Water Main Throughout the Hotel
- New Roof, Commercial Kitchen, Bar Area, and Administrative Offices
- Coordination With the City of New Bedford Historical Society
