After a pandemic closure and a $20M+ gut renovation, One Hanover is available for lease for the first time in its nearly 170-year history. Originally opened in 1854 as Hanover Bank, the Lower Manhattan landmark has hosted a handful of illustrious tenants throughout the years including the New York Cotton Exchange and the members-only social club India House. You can be one of the first to see the revitalized historic spaces of One Hanover on a special behind-the-scenes tour with Untapped New York Insiders on November 16th!
Photo Courtesy of SomeraRoad
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The tour of One Hanover will be led by Ian Ross, the founder of SomeraRoad, the opportunistic real estate investment and development firm responsible for the building’s renovation. The company acquired One Hanover Square in 2021 and has since moved its New York headquarters into the building. SomeraRoad is known for bringing a fresh and entrepreneurial approach to real estate and micro-neighborhood development in growing cities across the country, with over 25+ million square feet acquired.
Photo Courtesy of SomeraRoad
At One Hanover, the development team enlisted the expertise of New York-based architecture firm S9 Architecture and the design firm Husband and Wife. Together they transformed the three-story, 30,000-square-foot building into modern, Class A, boutique office space. While making the building functional for the modern worker, the team also incorporated many original architectural elements and took aesthetic cues from its storied past. Dark woods, sleek lines, and rich fabrics imbue the space with an air of sophistication and a sense of history, harkening back to its days as a private social club.
On the ground floor, tenants will find communal amenity spaces including a club-like living room complete with a bar, complimentary coffee and refreshments, a wood-burning fireplace, and private tenant liquor lockers. A mix of formal board rooms and lounge-type meeting spaces offer a variety of different ways for tenants to collaborate on the lobby level. The bespoke office spaces, with suites ranging from 2,500 to 10,000 square feet, have a residential-inspired design with a luxury feel. Nine-foot windows and high ceilings lend the spaces a feeling of openness and tons of natural light.
Photo Courtesy of SomeraRoad
One Hanover began construction in 1851 and was officially opened in 1854. Hanover Square was named for the bank that occupied the new building. In 1870, the New York Cotton Exchange moved in and renovated the structure with architect Ebenezer L. Roberts. Roberts gave the building one central entrance and added embellishments to the facade such as a Victorian parapet with a clock face. By 1885, the building was occupied by the headquarters of W. R. Grace & Co., owned by Irish immigrant and former New York Mayor William Russell Grace. After Grace died in 1904, a group of businessmen involved in foreign trade wanted to form a social club.
In 1914 they would create India House – its name a nod to the Dutch West India Company – and take over One Hanover Square. The club members soon got to work renovating the building to suit the needs of a clubhouse. The famous duo of architects William Adams Delano and Chester Holmes Aldrich were hired for the job. Delano and Aldrich stripped back Roberts’ former additions to the facade and restored the original Italian Renaissance look. Inside, they designed a grand ballroom, called the Marine Room.
Photo Courtesy of SomeraRoad
Currently under restoration, the Marine Room will be a stop on our upcoming tour of One Hanover. On the tour, guests will get a sneak peek inside and see the original architectural details. Delano and Aldrich covered the space with nautical-inspired ornamentation including scalloped chandeliers, seashell plaster details, a vaulted ceiling, and a stained-glass skylight. One Hanover was home to India House until the clubhouse shut down during the pandemic and eventually sold the property in 2022.
Another legendary institution in the building is the basement bar and restaurant, Harry’s. Harry’s has been a staple of the Financial District since 1972 when it was founded by a husband and wife team. The famous spot has even appeared on screen, most recently in an episode of Billions. At the One Hanover offices, Harry’s will deliver catering and on-demand meals to tenants via a secret back entrance.
Join Untapped New York and SomeraRoad this November for an exclusive look at these revitalized historic spaces and learn about the process of adaptive reuse!
Nicole Saraniero is the Insider-in-Chief at Untapped New York, leading our Untapped New York Insiders membership program. Nicole graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Science in Televis
