8. International Mercantile Marine Company Building

The International Mer­can­tile Ma­rine Com­pany Building, at One Broadway, was bought by the International Mer­can­tile Ma­rine Company (IMM) in 1920 to serve as its cor­po­rate head­quar­ters. The following year, the exterior of the building was remodeled to have a mar­itime theme. The main entryway, which faces Broadway, is adorned on either side by carvings of starfish and seashells. There are also two side doors facing Battery Park, labeled “First Class” and “Cabin Class.”

The rectangle in which “One Broadway” is written is supported by embellished reliefs of Mercury and Neptune, the Roman gods of commerce and the sea.  On the second story of the building, a series of remarkable mosaic shields is interspersed between the windows. The shields, which represent different port cities around the world, are set in frames embellished with anchors, tridents, ropes and pulleys, seashells, and starfish.