4. The Hotel Sheltered Survivors of the Titanic

After the Titanic sank in 1912, survivors were brought to New York on the Carpathia and disembarked at Pier 54, part of the former Chelsea Piers which was home to many transatlantic ship companies. Crew members of the Titanic were brought to the former Sailors’ Home and Institute, just a few blocks away, and were given medical treatment and clothing. The sailors had not been paid since the very day the Titanic sunk, so a sympathetic public left monetary donations and clothing for them.

On April 19, 1912 more than a hundred people were in attendance for a memorial held in the building for the tragic sinking, where the song “Nearer, My God, to Thee” was sang with “a mighty, roaring chorus,” as reported by the New York Times. Over 100 people were in attendance.