Our Story
Historic Character. Modern Hospitality.
Treadwell Mansion is a boutique aparthotel in the heart of historic Portsmouth, thoughtfully designed for today’s modern, independent traveler. With contactless convenience, thoughtful design, and deep local roots, we offer a stay that feels personal, seamless, and unmistakably rooted in place.
Our contactless model replaces the traditional front desk with intuitive digital check-in, secure access, and responsive guest messaging, all designed to let your stay begin on your schedule, without sacrifice of service.
A Legacy of Place.
Reviving a Legacy in the Heart of Portsmouth.
Just steps from the Strawbery Banke Museum and the heart of downtown Portsmouth, Treadwell Mansion offers more than luxurious accommodation, it invites guests into a living narrative where history and modern comfort converge.
Centuries before the mansion at 93 Pleasant Street became a boutique hotel, this site, and its predecessors, were places of gathering, hospitality, and notable visitors. Around 1696, the property was home to Dr. Thomas Packer. Later, in the late 18th century, the site was the location of Colonel Brewster’s Tavern, described historically as “an elegant house kept … for entertainment,” where figures such as Marquis de Lafayette and President George Washington during his 1789 visit to Portsmouth.
In 1813, that original structure was lost to the Great Portsmouth Fire, but five years later, a new brick residence rose under the Brick Act of 1814, becoming what we now commemorate as the Treadwell-Jenness Mansion. Ann Stocker Pearse Treadwell, a woman of wealth and distinction, commissioned the home, and through subsequent ownership by civic leader Richard Jenness, the mansion became a hallmark of architectural refinement in the community.
By the early 20th century, the estate transitioned into the Hotel Merrick, a well-regarded boarding house noted for gracious hospitality and refined living.
Preservation & Renewal
In the mid-20th century, the demolition of the carriage house behind the Treadwell property to make way for a bowling alley became a turning point in Portsmouth’s preservation movement. Its loss is widely cited as one of the moments that awakened public concern over the rapid disappearance of the city’s early structures. In response, a group of engaged citizens began organizing to protect what remained of Portsmouth’s historic waterfront neighborhood, efforts that soon manifested into the creation of Strawbery Banke Museum, now one of the nation’s most significant outdoor history museums.
Continuity of Spirit
Today, we honor that heritage by offering a place where the past is present in spirit, and the stay is grounded in thoughtful, modern execution. Each room reflects the mansion’s historic charm while providing the refined amenities expected by today’s discerning traveler, inviting guests to walk in the footsteps of statesmen, visitors of note, and centuries of local life.
While the way guests arrive and interact has evolved, the intention remains the same: to offer a place of welcome, care, and connection. Treadwell Mansion continues a legacy of thoughtful hospitality, one where history enriches the experience and modern design enhances comfort.
Invitation
More than just a place to stay, Treadwell Mansion connects you to Portsmouth’s character from the past, present, and future. We invite you to be part of its enduring and evolving story.
Historical Photos courtesy of Portsmouth Athenæum