Building History
The Battery Maritime Building, or “BMB,” is a 1909 historic ferry terminal that was once the crown jewel of the New York City waterfront. As a Beaux-Arts Structural Expressionist building designed by architectural firm Walker & Morris, the original structure served commuter ferries to southern Brooklyn and continues to host ferries to Governors island to this day.
By the mid 1920s, the age of ferries hit its peak and was in decline. During this time the building remained under-utilized, and after years of neglect, the structure was crumbling into the East River and at risk of being lost forever. Despite being designated a City Individual Landmark in 1966 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, the building was in critical condition by the 1990s.
The effort to save this magnificent landmark structure has been nearly 20 years in the making. In 2007, the City of New York put out a Request for Proposal for a private developer to develop the building for new uses, perform the work at their own cost, and secure a long-term lease. Marvel Architects (then Rogers Marvel) working for Dermot companies helped win this bid and got to work on this central question – how to re-activate this building with a new economic engine to preserve it into the future.
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The development team of Midtown Equities, Centaur Properties, and Cipriani, in partnership with a celebrated team of architects and designers, were careful to ensure the new uses resulted in minimal change to the defining
characteristics of the building and its environment. In an act of preservation and rehabilitation, the 162,000 square-foot facility has been fully re-activated via a modern and
historically sensitive conversion into a multi-use event and hospitality venue and is ready to reclaim its rightful place as the crown jewel of the NYC waterfront.
Credit: Marvel