New York Yacht Club Building

The building in front of you stands as one of the most expressive examples of Beaux Arts architecture in the United States. Completed in nineteen hundred and one, it was designed by the firm of Warren and Wetmore to serve as the sixth home of the New York Yacht Club. J. Pierpont Morgan donated the land for the project and took personal charge of selecting the design. The architect, Whitney Warren, chose to reject the restrained, symmetrical styles popular among other social clubs of the era. Instead, he crafted a limestone facade that functions as a monumental tribute to the sea. The front of the building is dominated by three massive bay windows that mimic the sterns of Dutch galleons. These windows are surrounded by intricate stone carvings featuring dolphins, garlands of seaweed, and shells, all designed to make the stone appear fluid and alive.