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There is ever-increasing awareness that the extraordinary and legendary liner the SS United States – laid up since 1969 – should be saved.
But as what?
This website offers two ideas.
IDEA NUMBER ONE:
The ideal would return the ship back to service, and as a cruise vessel.
But wait, people will say, this idea has been endlessly discussed.
This is true, but not as proposed here.
When NCL purchased the liner it was assumed that decks would be added, her profile radically altered, and her already gutted interior further gutted and remade along contemporary cruise ship aesthetics. People were willing to accept these radical alterations as the price of putting the liner back in service.
No. This cannot be allowed to happen. The SS United States is a national icon. Would you allow three stories to be added to the White House? Balconies grafted onto the Empire State Building? Condos tacked onto the face of Mount Rushmore?
No.
Moreover, it’s foolish to proceed upon such a plan. For, the liner’s primary asset would be wholly lost.
The SS United States is unique. There is no other ship in the world like her. Why remake her to look and feel like so many other ships? So many competitors?
It wasn’t that long ago that all hotel interiors looked essentially the same. This look was thought sacrosanct; inviolate. That is until Ian Schrager came along with the Morgan Hotel in NYC. In an instant the idea of what a hotel could be was radically changed. When he recreated this success with the Royalton Hotel – and its shockingly hyper-stylish interiors – the hotel world was turned on its end. Schrager continued this revolution with hotels around the world. Today the concept of a boutique hotel in now universally accepted.
However, the mindset that once rigidly controlled the aesthetic look of hotels still grips the cruise line industry: only one type of aesthetic will appeal to the cruising public.
This is the great opportunity that could await the SS United States.
Imagine the fabled liner restored. Yes, restored. Her original exterior/profile (and colors) would simply be brought back to the liner’s heyday. Gleaming. Proud. Dashing.
Some of her most famous interiors could be recreated (obviously minus the asbestos). Extant furnishings and decorative objects could be tracked down, copied, and recreated anew.
The remaining interior could be newly created along the hyper-stylish lines that proved such a success for Ian Schrager.
http://www.morganshotelgroup.com
In a day and age when cruise ships all have essentially the same appearance inside and out, the restored SS United States would offer a singular distinction: she would be like no other.
IDEA NUMBER TWO:
In the event that no cruise operator has the vision to undertake the above idea, the SS United States should be brought to New York City and moored permanently as:
- A first-class hotel
- An International Ocean Liner Museum
- Condominiums
THE SS UNITED STATES HOTEL
But wait, people will say, the RMS Queen Mary has struggled in Long Beach, California, so why would the SS United States Hotel do better?
The answer is the world of difference between Long Beach and New York – the latter being one of the world’s great cities and a major tourist attraction. Moreover, by having the SS United States moored close to the waterfront convention center, she would have a ready-made clientele (and with high-speed ferry service from the liner to the convention center).
To build the hotel interiors and manage the operation, a great opportunity would be missed if the job were given over to conventional hotel operators and designers (a repeated mistake made with the Queen Mary). The SS United States Hotel should be as remarkable as the ship herself once was. Only one person comes to mind with the vision and background to truly do the liner justice: again, Ian Schrager. Although Schrager sold his interest in the Morgan Hotel Group, he started a new company:
www.ianschragercompany.com
His newest projects have stunned the design community, and proven highly successful.
THE INTERNATIONAL OCEAN LINER MUSEUM
Below the waterline, it is suggested that an International Ocean Liner Museum be created. No such museum exists. Each country that once had liners racing across the Atlantic (and around the globe) would underwrite their own permanent exhibit, and share proportional operating costs.
The entrance to the museum would be separate from that of the hotel.
THE SS UNITED STATES CONDOMINIUMS
If the liner were permanently berthed parallel to Manhattan, she would enjoy both city views and river views. The liner is too large for just a hotel and museum. Having condominium cabins and suites would offer fantastically distinctive housing.
Another option would be akin to the idea above (minus the museum), except the liner would be permanently berthed in Miami Beach as a hotel and condominium. Her unique status would offer a singular distinction among the many hotels in the area.
SUMMATION:
America has spent trillions in Iraq. Billions bailing out Wall Street and automobile manufacturers. And more billions subsidizing air travel and the Interstate highway system. Surely there is the money to, at the very least, protect the SS United States from being discarded?
Such an act is not only unthinkable but irresponsible. Her structural condition is sound and all she needs is an owner with vision.
The SS United States has patiently waited for forty years.
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