It served as the headquarters of the Boston Transit Commission, the nation's first public transportation agency, which was responsible for the initial creation of Boston's subway system, now operated by the commission's successor, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

The ten-story Beaux Arts[2] or Classical Revival[3] building was designed by William Gibbons Preston and built in 1903–04 on the site of the 1722-built mansion of merchant Edward Bromfield.

The hotel features art works by Jules Olitski, Gilbert Stuart, Maggi Brown, Martha Lloyd, Joe Greene, Tony Evanko, Ben Freeman, and others.

[2] In 1965 the building was the site of a 114-day protest by Reverend Vernon E. Carter, who began living on the sidewalk outside the building to protest against continued de facto segregation in Boston's public schools after the Boston School Committee voted against taking action on April 26.

Carter's "Freedom Vigil" ended on August 18 with the passing of the 1965 Racial Imbalance Act.