The Battery Maritime Building (“BMB”) – a 1909 historic ferry terminal at the southern tip of Manhattan – was once the crown jewel of the New York City waterfront. After years of neglect, the structure was crumbling into the East River and at risk of being lost forever. Our team performed as lead architect on the adaptive reuse redevelopment project, crafting an elegantly modern and historically sensitive conversion into a multi-use event and hospitality venue. Today the 162,000-SF facility is re-activated by its many new uses. The ground floor continues to provide access to ferry operations, along with a porte-cochere driveway and two gracious new lobbies with a ceremonial grand stair. Its dramatic civic second floor spaces are fully rehabilitated as an events venue centered about a dramatic 9,185 SF Great Hall with a reconstructed laylight. The third and fourth floors have been completely rebuilt to serve as a 47-room boutique hotel. Finally, a modern glass addition on the fifth floor houses a membership club with a jazz lounge, bars, and a restaurant with sweeping views overlooking the upper Hudson Bay.

The redevelopment of the Battery Maritime Building had three main design goals. The first was to activate the long-dormant building with new uses, ensuring its maintenance and economic viability into the future. The second was to celebrate the building’s history by completing the historic reconstruction of the exterior and rehabilitation of the grand interiors. The final goal was to sensitively modernize and enlarge the existing building to support the complex program requirements and current code requirements, while preserving the integrity of the original structure. This project saved an important New York City landmark for the foreseeable future, completing the full preservation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of the building, and activating it with a new economic engine.