Weekend Getaway: The Roundhouse in Beacon, New York

A comfortable hotel spanning four buildings that date back to the early to mid-1800s is much-needed addition to the town of Beacon.

Beacon, New York has become a cultural destination, with New Yorkers lured by the vast Dia:Beacon museum and the community of high-end artisans nearby, including lighting company Niche Modern and furniture maker Atlas Industries.

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McAlpine, whose construction company had created high-end hotels for clients for decades, bought the former factory, with its dramatic but dilapidated curved walls, in 2010 and recruited two of his children and their spouses to run it. The buildings were painstakingly restored with the help of local architect Aryeh Seigel. The Rockwell Group—fans of Beacon and colleagues of Mr. McAlpine’s on past projects—created designs for the interiors, executed by local designer Elizabeth Strianese and featuring the work of many local artists and artisans. Photo by Eric Laignel.

But the hotel options never quite matched the emerging scene of art world tourism—that is until the Roundhouse, a 23-room hotel with two restaurants and a lounge that perches along the falls of Fishkill Creek, and opened in 2012. Set in four buildings that date back to the early to mid-1800s and once housed a textile manufacturer, a lawnmower factory, gun factory and a dye works, the operation now sports reclaimed wood, hand-blown glass light fixtures and zinc countertops.

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In the 2EM lounge, light fare like duck confit cassoulet and flatbread with lamb, blue cheese, and caramelized pears is served. Beacon-based vendor Niche Modern crafted the chandelier above the bar, and the stools come from Rexhill. A major philosophy of the Roundhouse is “keep it local.” Photo by Eric Laignel.

"We wanted to bring a certain level of sophistication here that may not be common for the Hudson valley," said owner Bob McAlpine. "We didn’t set out to be the local country inn; we set out to be something more sophisticated in the country."

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Local lighting designers Niche Modern crafted the chandelier in the 2EM Lounge, named for the building's address: 2 East Main Street. Photo by Eric Laignel.

 
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Beacon Falls on Fishkill Creek, which bisects the property. Photo by Sarah Tew.

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Swift Restaurant looks out onto Beacon Falls. The wall sconces come from Hudson Beach Glass in Beacon and the glass pendants are from Niche Modern. Since reclaiming materials were a top priority for the McAlpines, Swift’s bathroom doors and tables, and the wood paneling on the hallways, were crafted from old floorboards, found on other buildings on the site, much of them made by Jessica Wickham of Wickham Solid Wood Studio in Beacon. The metal edges of tables were made from local metal worker Metconix. Photo by Eric Laignel.

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In the penthouse suite, a mixture of mass-produced and home made: a custom live-edge white ash bed designed by Jessica Wickham Studio, with the Cielo sectional sofa in Ivory from CB2. The cantilevered suspension "DT Floor lamp" was designed by Phil Luithlen and the round bathtub comes from Linea Aqua.

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