Jane Fales Popular Books

Jane Fales Biography & Facts

The Jane is a boutique hotel at 505–507 West Street, on the northeastern corner with Jane Street, in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was constructed in 1908 by the American Seaman's Friend Society (ASFS) as a sailors' boarding house called the American Seamen's Friend Society Sailors' Home and Institute. The Jane was designed by William A. Boring in the Georgian style and is a New York City designated landmark. The Jane building has a red brick facade with cast-stone detailing and is mostly five stories tall, with a main entrance portico on Jane Street. There is a six-story polygonal tower at the corner of West and Jane Street, which was originally surmounted by a beacon. When the Sailors' Home and Institute opened, there were 200 bedrooms and numerous social rooms, as well as amenities such as a chapel, an auditorium, and a bowling alley. Over the years, the ground story has been used for various purposes, including as a bar and grill, a clubhouse, a nightclub, the off-Broadway Jane Street Theater, and a ballroom. Many of the guestrooms are extremely small, averaging 50 sq ft (4.6 m2). The ASFS acquired land for a new boarding house at 507 West Street in 1905 after its previous boarding house was demolished. Construction of 507 West Street began in 1907 following a donation from philanthropist Olivia Sage, and the building was dedicated on October 7, 1908. The building was initially only open to sailors, and in 1912 house survivors from the sinking of the RMS Titanic. After the ASFS and two other organizations constructed the Seaman's House nearby in 1931, the YMCA operated 507 West Street as an annex of the Seaman's House. 507 West Street became the Jane West Hotel in 1946, and it was renamed the Hotel Riverview by the 1980s. The Riverview was acquired in 2008 by a group who renovated it into the Jane, a boutique hotel operated by BD Hotels. The hotelier Jeff Klein acquired the Jane in 2022 and converted its ballroom into a private club. Site The Jane Hotel is at 505–507 West Street in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It occupies the northeast corner of West Street and Jane Street, on the eastern shoreline of the Hudson River, just south of the Meatpacking District. The building is on the southwestern portion of a city block bounded by West Street to the west, Horatio Street to the north, Washington Street to the east, and Jane Street to the south. The quadrilateral site covers 8,812 square feet (818.7 m2), with a frontage of 135.18 feet (41.20 m) on Jane Street and a depth of 66.21 ft (20.18 m). Historically, the site directly faced the pier of the Cunard Line on the Hudson River. Architecture The building was designed by William Alciphron Boring for the American Seamen's Friend Society. Most of the hotel building is five stories tall, but there is a six-story polygonal tower at the southwest corner (facing Jane and West Streets). Above a portion of the main roof is a penthouse that abuts the tower. There is an interior light court above the second floor. The superstructure is made of iron and steel, while the foundation is composed of concrete footings. The facade was originally supposed to be made of white granite on the first story and red brick above. During the construction process, some of the materials in the original design were substituted or removed. For example, cast stone was used instead of white granite; buff brick was used in place of red brick on secondary facades; and a set of pergolas on the roof were removed. The portico on Jane Street was not part of the original plan. Facade As built, the primary facades on West and Jane Streets are made of red brick in English bond, with trim made of cast stone, while the secondary facades to the north and east are made of buff brick. The West Street elevation of the facade is divided vertically into three full-width bays and one half-width bay, while the Jane Street elevation is divided into six full-width bays. The windows at the first story are round-arched, while those on upper stories are rectangular; each of the full-width bays contains two windows on the top three stories. The original wood sash windows have been replaced with aluminum windows over the years. There is an entrance portico just east of the tower at the corner of Jane and West Streets. String courses and band courses run horizontally across the facade above the basement, first story, and fourth story, as well as at the height of the window sills on the first and second stories. The fifth story is decorated with patterned brick panels. The eastern elevation is partially visible from the street and contains a fire escape, a chimney, string courses, and red-and-buff brick. The northern end of the West Street elevation contains an entrance with a molded frame, metal door, and an entablature with brackets; above this entrance are single, narrow windows on the first to fourth floor. Near the southern end is an entrance in the basement with a metal door. There is a recessed areaway with a metal railing in between these two entrances. The three full-width bays each contain one arched window at the first story, with roundels above the center window on either side. Above the first story is a horizontal band of molded cartouches, which represent maritime motifs like anchors, buoys, fish, and ropes. The tower at the corner of West and Jane Streets contains four sides facing the street. At the first story is a cornerstone with the text "A. D. 1907" inscribed into it. The second story of the tower contains balconies supported by brackets, and the other stories of the tower are largely similar to the rest of the facade. The sixth story contains round-arched windows with patterned brickwork and is topped by a cornice and balustrade. The roof originally contained a beacon, which was removed circa 1946. There is another areaway on the Jane Street elevation, accessed by a stone stoop. At basement level on Jane Street, three bays contain metal doors, while the other bays contain windows or louvers. There are round-arched windows on the first story. In the easternmost bay, a stone stoop ascends to an entrance at the first story. The westernmost bay contains a rectangular portico flanked by columns and pilasters; there is an entablature above, which in turn is topped by a balustrade with cartouches at either end. A set of stone stairs with iron railings leads up to the portico, which contains brick panels on the side walls, as well as Guastavino tiles on the ceiling. The main entrance, under the portico, consists of wood-and-glass double doors topped by a transom window, flanked by sidelights, and surrounded with a molding. Interior Rooms When the American Seaman's Friend Society Building opened, there were 200 rooms. The vast majority, between 156 and 170 rooms, were for sailors. Of the remaining rooms, 32 were reserved for officers and engineers; there was another dormitory with 24 beds.... Discover the Jane Fales popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jane Fales books.