Formerly the London headquarters and ticketing office for the White Star Line, Oceanic House, known to have serviced that fateful journey on the Titanic in 1912, is being converted into luxury apartments, according to a press release.
The two-story penthouse is located on the fifth and sixth floors
Near Trafalgar Square at 1 Cockspur St., the landmarked building, built in 1906 and redeveloped by Byrne Group, is now home to six lavish apartments and one two-story penthouse, designed to recall the maritime glamour of early 20th century ocean liners.
The original Oceanic House, designed by architect Henry Tanner Jr. (under the auspices of Bruce Ismay), was constructed of Portland stone in a neoclassical style reminiscent of the architecture of that era. At the front of the building, monumental, Baroque-style columns rise three stories. The ground floor of historic Oceanic House, served as the booking office; the basement stored luggage to be transferred to passengers’ rooms; the first floor housed meeting rooms for the White Star Line board of directors and their clients; and the upper floors contained administrative offices.
The modernization of the grand foyer is inspired by the building’s original Edwardian design
Over a century later, Oceanic House has been carefully restored with interior architecture by BLDA Architects. The modernization of its grand foyer, with over-18-foot-hight ceilings, is inspired by the building’s original Edwardian design, with two original, renovated European oak doors welcoming guests.
Penthouse, second bedroom suite
Two three-bedroom apartments, four two-bedroom apartments, and a four-bedroom duplex penthouse comprise the ritzy residences, ranging from 1,679 square feet to 5,447 square feet, with prices from $1,260,000 (£5,265,000), to over $31 million (approximately £25 million).
In-residence kitchen
In-residence kitchens feature Poggenpohl furniture with Slitstone worktops and toughened glass splashbacks. Bedrooms have en suites, with “his” and “hers” bathrooms in the larger master bedrooms. Each is furnished with Carrara or Nero Marquina marble panel wall slabs and stone or ceramic flooring.
Grand drawing room, first-floor apartment
On the fifth and sixth floors, there’s the extravagant penthouse, with a galleried foyer that is brightened by a skylight above. Within the duplex residence are four spacious bedrooms, five bathrooms, and two roof terraces.
In-residence bathroom
In 1927, the White Star Line was purchased by the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, and the headquarters was relocated in 1929 to Leadenhall Street, where the company was based. Oceanic House became the London regional offices of Barclays Bank and later, offices of the Ministry of Defence. Finally, in the 1990s, it became the Texas Embassy, a restaurant and tourism center for the state of Texas.
The residences at Oceanic House are available through Beauchamp Estates for move-in February 2017.
Images courtesy of Beauchamp Estates
