Jun 15
Building of the Week - 19th ed.

 
Battery Maritime Building
10 South St, New York, NY 10004

I shamelessly present you with yet another Lower Manhattan building!! Who is surprised!?! Maybe it’s because I am one, but I’m beginning to wonder if I will ever escape the allure of these downtown baddies. Without further ado, this week’s building is the Battery Maritime Building.

Located at the southernmost tip of Manhattan, this Beaux-Arts building was built between 1906 to 1909. For those of you who remember, Beaux-Arts is also the style of the Salmon Tower Building from week 17! However, I have yet to find evidence that either of the designers - Richard Walker and Charles Morris - studied at the Beaux-Arts Institute of Design. This could very well be another Sparkling Architecture case.

This building is as beautiful as it is historical and, like many of the greats, has struggled with identity crisis. Up until the 1930s, it was used as a terminal for ferries to and from Brooklyn. It went on to be a communal warehouse, a homeless shelter, and a Coast Guard slip. What can’t she do?? The building currently serves as the ferry terminal to and from Governors Island while the upper floors hold Casa Cipriani.

Cipriani is an international hospitality brand, with restaurants, landmarked event spaces, residential, luxury rooms and suites, and private membership clubs around the world. The name comes from the Cipriani family. In 1932, Giuseppe Cipriani opened Harry’s Bar on the first floor of an abandoned rope warehouse in Venice. The bar was known for its relaxed atmosphere, great food, and warm service. It’s been thoroughly frequented by Hollywood legends, royalty, artists, and more - including Ernest Hemingway and Humphrey Bogart.

Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy

I’m not sure if this is canon or not, but the story of how the bar started goes more or less like this:

This guy, let’s call him Harry Pickering (not affiliated with the soccer player), was broke, an alcoholic, and venting to a bartender about how his family cut him off financially. The bartender loaned him 10,000 lire (roughly $10,000 in today’s economy). I guess being a bartender paid very well back then. Two years later, Pickering came back and gave the bartender 50,000 lire in return. He added another 40,000 lire on top of that so the bartender could open his up own bar. That bartender's name? Albert Einst- wait no sorry, Guiseppe Cipriani.

Guiseppe then went on to have a son, Arrigo Cipriani (born 1932). Arrigo is apparently the Italian name for Harry… I fear I have to call cap on that, those names sound nothing alike. Arrigo is the majority owner of the company at the big age of 92. His son, Guiseppe Pt. 2 went on to have two more sons- Ignazio and Maggio. Or you can call them by their English names, Fred and Josh. Facetiousness aside, this gaggle of Italian men has an interesting trail of not-so-legal behavior. Including but not limited to: tax evasion, breaking labor laws, fleeing the country, and bees.

Like I previously said, the exterior was built in the Beaux-Arts style of architecture. This style heavily features symmetry and columns. I’m personally a huge fan of the array of colors caused by the use of various materials. The original exterior cladding of the building included cast iron, steel plates, ornamental sheet copper, galvanized steel (lets gooooo baby iykyk), and other building materials. The 100 years or so of being up against borderline radioactive water took a toll on the metals used, however, any exterior renovations have stayed true to the original design.

Marvel (the architecture and design firm) avenged the neglected building and brought it back to life. Many, many renovations needed to take place, but they worked alongside Thierry Despont to honor the building’s origins. Two new floors were added and the original rooftop was also brought back to its original splendor. The inside was completely gutted and the redesign was inspired by the great 1930s liners, particularly the spectacular SS Normandie.

Some notable features include the old waiting room that was converted into an events hall that can seat up to 800 guests. It is topped by a stunning skylight that was a part of the original design. Club Cipriani members and hotel guests can dine in the club restaurant that overlooks the Brooklyn Bridge and the East River, or in the Jazz Café if they prefer music while they eat. There are also three different bars: the Promenade, the Club Bar and the West Terrace.

ya like jazz?

One of my long-time readers actually worked on the renovation of this building! I interviewed Frank Distefano on his involvement and thoughts on the building:

What was your role in this project?

I was one of the project managers! Managed the site day to day.

Okay, nice. Was this building well made or what?

lol....uhm a lot is fucked up. How much you wanna know?

Umm obviously I want to know the tea.

(and then he went on to talk a lot about how the electricity and control panel situation is a hot mess. Tldr: the developers were cheap af! He then went on to name-drop Brad Pitt, Djokovic, Thierry (the interior designer), and Alicia Keys.)

Is it a little fucked up that this homeless shelter got turned into an ultra-luxurious club & hotel for only the affluent to enjoy? A simple yes or no answer will do.

Uhhh I did not know that. But! I will say we were not the first developer/contractor on site so someone already started the process before us. They just ran out of money.

Okayyy that’s not a yes or no answer but whatever! Thank you for your time!

Fun Facts

Members of Casa Cipriani's private club have included Drew Barrymore and John Legend. (I fear the namedropping was contagious)

The Bellini was invented sometime between 1934 and 1948 by Giuseppe Cipriani at Harry's Bar. College girls and divorcées everywhere thank you, Giuseppe.

This is low key a bizarre location to get to. But nothing says luxury more than being next-door neighbors with the Staten Island Ferry. Although I imagine a significant percentage of patrons arrive via the heliport (contender for the stupidest name for something) that is also next door.

I’m honestly shocked I didn’t use a thicc italian accent once during this. Maybe I’m finally growing up :,)

Anyways… see you next week! Toodaloo!
 
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