About the 1868 Warehouse A.A. Thomson & Co.

Coming Soon

The restoration of A.A. Thomson & Co. is nearing completion! In 2019, after securing substantial funding, the Seaport Museum began a careful renovation of this historic warehouse. The restoration is a vital step for the Museum, which serves as the beating heart and cultural anchor of the South Street Seaport Historic District.

Working with the celebrated preservation architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle, the Seaport Museum transformed the historic 12,000-square-foot warehouse into a large-scale exhibition space, a hub for engaging educational programming, and a gathering space for the community. Once renovated, the building, which has not been updated in decades, will include a new climate control system, systems hardened against flooding, an elevator, and full accessibility to welcome all visitors into previously inaccessible space on “little” Water Street.

The inaugural exhibition, Maritime City, will span the first three floors of the renovated building and feature works of art, historic artifacts, and archival materials from the extensive collections and archives of the Seaport Museum. For the first time in years, the Museum will have the capacity to responsibly show a selection from its collection of more than 28,000 works of art and historical artifacts, and over 80,000 archival materials.

The renovation is scheduled to be completed in 2024 and will result in a resilient and sustainable building. Join the Seaport Museum’s mailing list to be one of the first to receive updates, announcements, and invitations to special events in advance of the official re-opening.

---

A Brief History

This Italianate cast iron and stone warehouse, located at 213–215 Water Street, was designed by the renowned New York City architect Stephen D. Hatch (1839–1894) in 1868 for Alexander and William A. Thomson of A.A. Thomson & Co.. Before the structure was built, this lot was occupied by two three-story buildings, originally part of a 1750 water lot grant, on what would have been considered one of the principal streets in New York City. Throughout the 19th century, the area was occupied by wholesale grocers and commission merchants, iron dealers, warehousers, and mechanics connected with the shipping industry.

Stephen D. Hatch became one of New York’s well known architects in the last quarter of the 19th century. Hatch designed mostly mercantile buildings, and his most famous accomplishments are the Murray Hill Hotel (1884) on Park Avenue and the Boreel Building (1902) on Broadway. When Hatch began to practice architecture in 1865 he was named Architect of the U.S. War Department and given the job of constructing all of the military posts in New York City. It is probable that 213–215 Water Street was one of Hatch’s first civilian commissions.

According to the building application No. 482 submitted by Stephen D. Hatch on June 9, 1868, the new buildings were to be “Five storey warehouses for tin and metals. Bottom made of driven piles three feet from centres, with rough timbers laid in concrete. […] Marble columns and 8″ ashlar with 12″ brick backing, about the lintel course.” In actuality, the upper stories of this Italianate building were built of limestone, and the entire façade is contained within two vertical rows of quoin blocks.

East River Bridge, ca. 1883. Published by E.E. Burdett & Co. South Street Seaport Museum 2005.013.0007

Initially used for decorative and structural purposes, cast-iron became a popular architectural material for facing commercial buildings in the mid-to-late 19th century, particularly in New York City. Compared with different building materials, cast iron was paintable, inexpensive, easy to assemble, and allowed for the repeated production of decorative features. It was also thought to be fireproof, a belief that changed following the 1879 New York fire that destroyed several rows of cast iron buildings.

Image above left: 207-217 Water Street, late 1960s. South Street Seaport Museum Archives.
Image above right: 207-217 Water Street, ca. 1990s. South Street Seaport Museum Archives.

The first alteration of 213–215 Water Street took place in 1902 when the lessee, Berlin Aniline Company, installed a new elevator shaft, framed the old hatchways on all floors, and replaced one of the ducts/chimneys with one constructed inside of the building. In 1917, notable architect Emery Roth (1871–1948) extended the stairway with a walkway to the roof and installed a new fire escape in the front of the building.

In 1972, South Street Seaport was nominated for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. Out of the many architectural gems in the area, the 1868 warehouse A.A. Thomson & Co., was one of the historical buildings noted for its interesting architectural features in the Nomination Form. Over the years, the structure, now recognized for its architectural and historical merit, changed hands several times until the City of New York leased it to the Seaport Museum in 1973. 

In 1977, 213–215 Water Street was included in the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission’s South Street Seaport Historic District designation. That same year, the Seaport Museum opened the building to the public as the “Seaport Gallery,” with the first floor serving as the Museum’s main exhibition, and the second floor hosting the Museum’s maritime reference library for over three decades. 

In the mid-to-late 1990s the Seaport Museum recreated the missing cast iron ground floor façade, which had been removed at some point over the years. 

For more than 30 years, the building served as the home of the Museum’s indoor exhibitions, hosting shows curated by staff and guest curators, as well as traveling exhibitions. Major shows during that time included City in Play: Toys & the Transformation of New York 1865–1945 (1997); American Tattoo: The Art of Gus Wagner (1999–2000); Treasures: Of Sailing Ships and Sealing Wax: 25 Years of Collecting (1992–1994); and Titanic at 100: Myth and Memory (2012). Over the years, and exacerbated by damage from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the space became unusable.

After an extensive restoration and renovation, the reopening of the 1868 warehouse A.A. Thomson & Co. at 213 Water Street is coming soon. This project is transforming the building into multiple floors of gallery and exhibition space, an education hub for Museum programming, and a gathering space for the local community. The building will be available as a flexible space for lectures, meetings, community-wide gatherings, and special events. The building will be fully accessible.

---

More Views of A.A. Thomson & Co. from the Archive

---

Restoration and Renovation Support

Funding for the restoration of the 1868 warehouse A.A. Thomson & Co. was secured through a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation through Community Development Block Grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency through the New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York State Governor’s Office plus support from the City of New York through funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York City Mayor’s Office, New York City Economic Development Corporation, New York City Council, and Manhattan Borough President’s Office.

Construction building partners for A.A. Thomson & Co. are Beyer Blinder Belle, Architects, led by Richard Southwick; Silman; Kohler Ronan; Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers; Renfro Design Group; Hunter Roberts Construction Group; JAM Consultants; with special thanks to Patricia Zedalis.

---

Learn About the 1868 Warehouse A.A. Thomson & Co.