Visitor's Center & Galleries, Building C, Main Hall

Designed in the Greek Revival style by Minard Lafever, whose entry won the Trustees of Sailors' Snug Harbor design competition in 1831, this building was completed in 1833 as the first building on campus and the historic cornerstone of Snug Harbor. In 1965, it became one of the first historic buildings designated a landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Its interior included nautical features meant to give original residents a sense of familiarity and comfort, including stained glass transoms with seafaring scenes made by Louis Comfort Tiffany that decorate the doorways, and a ceiling mural of Neptune, the God of the Sea, still presides over visitors. The weather vane atop Building C emitted the familiar, soothing sounds of a ship rocking at sea that lulled sailors to sleep, and it can still be heard on a windy day.

New York, New York · United States