The Post Hotel
Bridgeport, Connecticut

Anticipated Completion 2026

Design Team
Brian Messana, Toby O’Rorke, Viktor Nassli and Hanna Medve

Collaborators
Executive Architect: Antinozzi
Structural Engineer: Michael Horton
Mechanical Engineer: General Drafting & Design
Civil Engineers: Pereira
Lighting Designer: Sighte Studio

The Post Hotel rehabilitates a historic building in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, and marries it with a ground-up, modern addition to create a dynamic, 36-room boutique hotel. The design juxtaposes the classical, c. 1892, red brick edifice with the minimally embellished, light brick façade of the similarly scaled companion building. While there’s a dynamic tension between the buildings’ complementary styles, each retains its own presence and design integrity. A massive plate glass window under a landscaped canopy at the front of the new, five-story tower relate in scale with the tall, arched windows of the Post building. A glass gasket connects the two structures, marking the nexus of old and new and serving as the central artery of the hotel’s interior plan. Ground-floor retail and restaurants, a lower-level speakeasy, and a rooftop terrace/bar on the new tower will complete the 27,252-square-foot hospitality destination that will open in 2026.

Guest suites will comprise the upper floors of the formerly industrial Post building, with additional guest rooms, amenity areas and the main corridor located in the companion tower. A large, open void in the addition brings air and natural light into the central artery that provides circulation and access to an elevator. Window-like openings on the exterior of this void will create a dynamic play of light and shadow in the hallway through the day. The shared wall with the extant structure features the original brick, adding a rich materiality and texture while reminding visitors of the property’s past. The void terminates at the first floor, creating an outdoor space. In the rear, the annex extends to the property line, forming a wide plaza for al fresco dining. New glazing on the ground level will strengthen the hotel’s connection with the neighborhood. Windows that had been blocked on the historic structure will be restored and several new windows added to activate an existing adjacent pentway.

The owners’ goal is to help revitalize the city’s downtown and provide much-needed, high-end hotel accommodations. The Post Hotel’s retail stores will appeal to different segments of the local community and include a dry goods store, flower shop, sneaker/skateboard/vinyl shop, coffee shop and restaurant. Chef Roshara (“Chef Ro”) Sanders, a U.S. military veteran and the first Black woman to be a chef instructor at the Culinary Institute of America, heads the Post Hotel’s food and beverage. The design of the hotel was approved by the State Historic Preservation Office of Connecticut.

Renderings by Sora

Press

Awards