Revive a Grande Dame

“Every time I take a bus to South Station or downtown, I see this beautiful building that has been neglected and boarded up for as long as I can remember,” Travis Blake says of Hotel Alexandra, an 1875 building crumbling on the corner of Mass. Ave. and Washington Street. The Church of Scientology purchased the property in 2008, planning to renovate the building for its new Boston headquarters. But those plans never materialized, and the Gothic beauty has languished for years. Blake, who works for Sousa Design Architects—a firm that’s designed dozens of restaurants around town, including the Gallows, located a half-mile down the street—would like to see it revitalized, with retail or a hospitality space on the ground floor and apartments or condos above. “I envision this space where the historic architectural details could be exposed and integrated with modern textures, materials, lighting and furniture to create a visually stunning destination,” Blake says. “Restoring the exterior to emphasize the inherent beauty of the Gothic-style architecture with the banded sandstone, wrought-iron gates and stone detailing, along with the updated commercial space, would help reinforce this building as a central landmark in a somewhat forgotten area of the South End.” He may get his wish. Having purchased an office complex in Allston last year, the church put Hotel Alexandra up for sale, and a source close to the project says it could be under new ownership early in the new year.