5. The White Star Office Building
The offices at 5-11 Broadway were home to a variety of maritime businesses, including the White Star Line, the maritime company which owned the Titanic. Inside the grand Hellenic Renaissance-style building were offices for the American Line, the American Scantic Line, and other shipping businesses and firms as well as the Merchant Marine and the Navy. Constructed between 1895 to 1898, its interior columns were reportedly made of ship masts. The landmark is now the Bowling Green Offices.
On April 15th, as news broke of the Titanic’s sinking, concerned family members of people on board crowded the entrances to the office building, hoping to hear news of their loved ones. There was a similar scene at the White Star offices in London, where the New York Times reported officials posted a list of names of known survivors was posted.
