Maritime Hotel
Encyclopedia
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The Maritime Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel located at 363 West 16th Street at Ninth Avenue
in the Chelsea
neighborhood of Manhattan
, New York City
, close to the Meatpacking District. It has 120 rooms and 4 suites, all decorated in a nautical theme, in line with the building's maritime history, and the porthole-inspired facade.
in the 1960s, all white buildings that prominently featured portholes as an architectural feature. The first, in 1964, was the union's headquarters building at Seventh Avenue
between 12th Street and 13th Street, which became part of the now-closed St. Vincent's Medical Center; the second was the building at 346 West 17th Street
, which runs through to 16th Street, which the union used as an annex to their headquarters; and finally the "pizza box" building which became the Maritime Hotel, whose primary facade faces Ninth Avenue. The 17th Street building was completed in 1966, and the Ninth Avenue building a few years later; they were named the Joseph Curran
Annex (17th Street) and Plaza (Ninth Avenue), after the union's first president. The Curran buildings held offices for the union and its pension fund, medical and training facilities, dormitory rooms for seaman, a gymnasium, swimming pool and 900-seat auditorium.
The fortunes of the union collapsed due to reduced activity in the Port of New York
, and the two buildings at Ninth and 17th were sold in 1987 to Covenant House
, a drug-rehabilitation program, which used them as a shelter and educational facility for runaways, and then in 1994 to the Chinese government
, which operated them as the New York Service Center for Chinese Study Fellows, which provided housing and other services for Chinese artists, students and businessmen. In 2001 Sean K. MacPherson and Eric Goode, two nightclub and restaurant entrepreneurs, bought Ninth Avenue "pizza box" building for $19 million, and began converting it into a hotel with developers Richard Born and Ira Drukier. The hotel opened in 2003.
In the 1990s, the 17th Street building had its unique sloped facades – created to meet the setback requirements of the 1961 zoning laws – covered up with fake brickface storefronts, designed to "unify" the building with the rest of the block and eliminate the "total lack of human scale" of the sloped facade.; the alteration appalled Ledner when he came to visit in September 2007. Currently, it too is being converted into a hotel, to be named the Dream Downtown Hotel, designed by Frank Fusaro. The brickface has been removed, and the hotel is scheduled to open in early 2011.
The Maritime Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel located at 363 West 16th Street at Ninth Avenue
Ninth Avenue (Manhattan)
Ninth Avenue / Columbus Avenue is a southbound thoroughfare on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Traffic runs downtown along its full length...
in the Chelsea
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
neighborhood of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, close to the Meatpacking District. It has 120 rooms and 4 suites, all decorated in a nautical theme, in line with the building's maritime history, and the porthole-inspired facade.
Building
New Orleans-based architect Albert C. Ledner designed three buildings for the National Maritime Union of AmericaNational Maritime Union
The National Maritime Union was an American labor union founded in May 1937. It affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations in July 1937...
in the 1960s, all white buildings that prominently featured portholes as an architectural feature. The first, in 1964, was the union's headquarters building at Seventh Avenue
Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)
Seventh Avenue, known as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard north of Central Park, is a thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is southbound below Central Park and a two-way street north of the park....
between 12th Street and 13th Street, which became part of the now-closed St. Vincent's Medical Center; the second was the building at 346 West 17th Street
17th Street (Manhattan)
17th Street is an east-west running street between First Avenue and Eleventh Avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Traffic runs one way along the street, from east to west excepting the stretch between Broadway and Park Avenue South, where traffic runs in both directions.17th Street...
, which runs through to 16th Street, which the union used as an annex to their headquarters; and finally the "pizza box" building which became the Maritime Hotel, whose primary facade faces Ninth Avenue. The 17th Street building was completed in 1966, and the Ninth Avenue building a few years later; they were named the Joseph Curran
Joseph Curran
This article is about Joseph Curran, an American labor leader. For information about the state attorney general in Maryland, see J. Joseph Curran, Jr.Joseph Curran was a merchant seaman and an American labor leader...
Annex (17th Street) and Plaza (Ninth Avenue), after the union's first president. The Curran buildings held offices for the union and its pension fund, medical and training facilities, dormitory rooms for seaman, a gymnasium, swimming pool and 900-seat auditorium.
The fortunes of the union collapsed due to reduced activity in the Port of New York
Port of New York and New Jersey
The Port of New York and New Jersey comprises the waterways in the estuary of the New York-Newark metropolitan area with a port district encompassing an approximate area within a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument...
, and the two buildings at Ninth and 17th were sold in 1987 to Covenant House
Covenant House
Covenant House is the largest privately funded agency in the Americas providing shelter, food, immediate crisis care, and an array of other services to homeless, and runaway youth. In addition to basic needs, Covenant House provides a continuum of care to homeless youth aged 16–21 designed to...
, a drug-rehabilitation program, which used them as a shelter and educational facility for runaways, and then in 1994 to the Chinese government
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, which operated them as the New York Service Center for Chinese Study Fellows, which provided housing and other services for Chinese artists, students and businessmen. In 2001 Sean K. MacPherson and Eric Goode, two nightclub and restaurant entrepreneurs, bought Ninth Avenue "pizza box" building for $19 million, and began converting it into a hotel with developers Richard Born and Ira Drukier. The hotel opened in 2003.
In the 1990s, the 17th Street building had its unique sloped facades – created to meet the setback requirements of the 1961 zoning laws – covered up with fake brickface storefronts, designed to "unify" the building with the rest of the block and eliminate the "total lack of human scale" of the sloped facade.; the alteration appalled Ledner when he came to visit in September 2007. Currently, it too is being converted into a hotel, to be named the Dream Downtown Hotel, designed by Frank Fusaro. The brickface has been removed, and the hotel is scheduled to open in early 2011.