When new buyers scooped up the circa-1874 property at the charmingly conspicuous corner of Walker and Church Streets in Lenox, Mass., they were really buying “a living piece of the Berkshires Gilded Age.” Their purchase showed a combination of bravery and economic insight. They came to us at the architectural design firm of Clark Green + Bek for help in turning the building back from a private home into a boutique hotel.
A building of this age comes with ghosts of past eras and iterations, including one as a speakeasy–a 150-year imprint of travelers, guests and dwellers who’ve passed through or called 35 Walker Street home. Owners Kelly and Bryan Binder worked collaboratively with architect Amanda O’Malley of Clark Green + Bek to marry old-bones with 21st-century sustainable luxury in as prime a location as they come.
Once again restored from private residence back to hospitality use, Doctor Sax House á la 2025 is primed for welcoming future generations of spirited stays.
The design encapsulates casual European elegance with classical and modern nods, curated to welcoming perfection.
With so many original architectural features worth saving, decades-old imperfections and all, strategic design and decision-making steered this highly visible transformation. Owners and architect alike appreciated the extensive, well-crafted millwork housing double-pocket doors on either side of the central foyer, even the old-school 8” wide panel wainscotting at the lounge entrance. Numerous operable fireplaces are a wintertime hit with overnight guests and daily diners.
Black and white marble tiles in a harlequin floor pattern replaced existing hardwood through the entrance foyer while the durable, original wood was refinished everywhere else. Light fixtures, artwork, and occasional furnishings further delineate the transformation of an ordinary central hall into a chic hotel lobby. Thanks to a great paint job and stylish runner in place of blue carpeting, the staircase could remain as it was.
The cozy-scaled lounge located to the right of the central foyer is a visitor highlight, or lowlight, with its dramatic dark tones, and connoisseur-worthy cocktail menu. The bar itself remains in place, stained and finished beautifully from dated amber to timeless ebony shined to the barkeeper’s specification.
Two ground floor living room spaces were made extremely welcoming with the choice and placement of comfortable, swank furnishings, layered textures, and natural plant life, all according to owner Kelly Binder’s distinctive taste.
Breakfast is taken in what had long ago been a free-standing entrance porch and also called a sunroom, appropriately bathed in natural morning light. Testament to the selective use of decorative wallpaper, this time on the ceiling of a space with a somewhat narrow footprint.
Nine variably sized and configured guest rooms complete the narrative, thoughtfully programming the building’s second floor in harmony with business drivers. It’s apparent in these rooms how sometimes the vision of removing wallpaper can also go a long way.
All bedrooms and bathrooms received a total refresh from stuck-in-time to elegant with a flair of international style in keeping with the vibe downstairs.
Pretty plantings and hardscaping subtly transform the property and building exterior from non-remarkable to functional and attractive. Landscaping with sensible pedestrian circulation and a new flagstone terrace off the front porch add curb appeal galore. For a more comfortable transition, the ground beneath the terrace was raised and leveled, the porch steps replaced and reduced from four to two.
