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THE GREAT INDOORS: All aboard the S.S. United States
A look inside the S.S. United States, that, in its heyday, was opulent enough for the likes of Grace Kelly, Cary Grant and Duke Ellington.
THE GREAT INDOORS: All aboard the S.S. United States
Reporter Meg Augustin takes you inside some of Philly's most fab dwellings to showcase our city's unique grasp on design and architecture.
Thanks to Bastille Day, I’ve been thinking about demolition. Sobering topic, I know, but our responsibility to historical buildings and interiors is surely something to think about. Philadelphia is a town of historical artifacts that, thankfully, have been pretty well preserved. But for every home that has made it to the historical registry, there has to be several dozen that are left to fend for themselves. Some are bulldozed for newer homes or neighborhood groceries, others are pieced up into livable apartments while others sit untouched for years. While there are many artifacts that fall into this last category, there is one in particular I want to focus on: the S.S. United States. While obviously not a building, this South Philly-docked ship once offered a nautical home for the height of Hollywood regency interiors, mid-century modern aesthetic, high glamour and opulence.
The ship was originally built in 1952 as a luxury cruise liner and a speed machine. Even today, the ship holds the record for the fastest cross-Atlantic trip. While designed to function as a cruise liner for the majority of its life, the United States was also drafted to be used as a Naval ship in times of war. That meant that it had to meet Naval codes. Nothing, not even the decorations, were made of wood. Even the ballroom’s grand piano was tested to be fireproof. This meant that the majority of the interiors were decked in metallic and glass — the perfect recipe for mid-century glamour. Designer Dorothy Marckwald was given the difficult job of having to design a luxury cruise liner with naval interiors. Welcoming the challenge, though, she said, "The UNITED STATES is a ship, not an ancient inn with oaken beams and plaster walls.” So she worked with the space using modern influences and adding rich colors for distraction. The interiors were so memorable that even today, they are the stuff of legend. Current owners The U.S. Conservancy note, “So significant was the interior design of the SS United States, it is still lauded over 50 years after the ship's maiden voyage … The magnificent interiors and custom furniture they created are displayed in museums and still evoke a sense of the classic elegance of mid-20th century design.”
While cross-Atlantic travel began to lose customers throughout the '50s and '60s due to Howard Hughes’ air travel empire, the luxury liner still proved to hold a place in the American heart, if not their pocketbooks. The ballroom was a modern space fitted with curved, red arm chairs circled around metal cocktail tables and enclosed with four etched-glass walls. The Navajo Lounge, possibly the most popular room on the ship, was outfitted with lighted sand carvings meant to replicate the South Western murals while grommet cocktail tables dotted the space amongst ivory chairs. State rooms were a combination of high-gloss and comfortable floral reminiscent of popular '50s suburban bedrooms. This was this ship Don Draper would have taken across the Atlantic. Many celebrities did, too. The ship hosted icons such as Walt Disney, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Philly-native Princess Grace Kelly and Duke Ellington, who played that famous piano. Even a young Bill Clinton got a ride aboard — an experience that has made him an avid supporter of the ship’s restoration.
Luckily, the gorgeous giant is finally in good hands. After many tradeoffs since the mid '70s, the United States Conservancy took charge and today is laying plans to use the ship in a “multipurpose, stationary attraction.” In other words, the “Big U” is being reconceptualized as part of a waterfront development that would include boutique hotels, retail, restaurants, and, most importantly, a museum. The Conservancy has been collecting original interior pieces for some time now and hopes to fuse its collection with the enormous collection at the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News. According to Susan Gibbs, the granddaughter of the ship’s developer and president of the Conservancy, the new development will pay reverence to the original fittings. “We hope to combine the iconic features with something fresh and new — just like the ship did in its day.” Hopefully, the laid plans unfold in the near future, allowing us mere mortals to indulge in the Hollywood regency glamour and modernism that made it such a splash.
If you'd like to see your home (or ship) featured in The Great Indoors, email Meg at megan.augustin@citypaper.net.
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