Morris Yacht & Beach Club
City Island, New York
In March of 2006, the historic Morris Yacht & Beach Club on City Island in New York City was deemed a total loss after a four-alarm fire tore through the century-old landmark building built in 1899.
Studio 5 Partnership was selected to assist the club in its post-fire recovery efforts.
We first assessed the ability to re-use portions of the fire-damaged building. Finding that even the foundations were beyond repair, we developed a master site plan to address decades of problems the club had with boat hauling and storage operations. With this information, the new building was designed away from these operations, and positioned to maximize the breathtaking views of the picturesque Long Island Sound and the club’s beautiful 5-acre park-like property on the southern tip of City Island. Studio 5 developed a program of spaces that meets all of the needs of the club as well as unfinished space for future expansion, while fitting it all into a significantly smaller building shell than the inefficient historic building. This efficiency allowed the club to stay within their modest budget.
Now MYBC has “risen from the ashes” and returned to its place as a maritime social hub of this small “New England Style” fishing village in the Bronx. The building design focused on having the ballroom, bar and expansive outdoor deck spaces overlook the water, while keeping the service aspects of the building as out of the way as possible.
Additionally, the distinctive internally lit “lantern” element on the roof will be visible on the water at night from miles away acting as an identifiable landmark for sailing vessels.
We first assessed the ability to re-use portions of the fire-damaged building. Finding that even the foundations were beyond repair, we developed a master site plan to address decades of problems the club had with boat hauling and storage operations. With this information, the new building was designed away from these operations, and positioned to maximize the breathtaking views of the picturesque Long Island Sound and the club’s beautiful 5-acre park-like property on the southern tip of City Island. Studio 5 developed a program of spaces that meets all of the needs of the club as well as unfinished space for future expansion, while fitting it all into a significantly smaller building shell than the inefficient historic building. This efficiency allowed the club to stay within their modest budget.
Now MYBC has “risen from the ashes” and returned to its place as a maritime social hub of this small “New England Style” fishing village in the Bronx. The building design focused on having the ballroom, bar and expansive outdoor deck spaces overlook the water, while keeping the service aspects of the building as out of the way as possible.
Additionally, the distinctive internally lit “lantern” element on the roof will be visible on the water at night from miles away acting as an identifiable landmark for sailing vessels.
| Contact: Steve Lott (Building Committee Liaison) | Size: 16,000 square feet | Cost: Private |