505-507 West Street, ca. 1929.

The Jane, formerly known as the American Seamen’s Friend Society Sailors’ Home and Institute, is a landmark building that was originally designed as a hotel for sailors. Constructed in 1907-08, the structure was designed by William A. Boring, also the architect of the immigration station on Ellis Island. His designs for the building include a chapel, concert hall, and a bowling alley.

On April 19, 1912, the American Seamen’s Friend Society Sailors’ Home and Institute hosted a memorial service for surviving sailors rescued from the Titanic. The hotel was also used to house survivors while the American inquest into the sinking was held.

In 1944, the YMCA took over the building. It has since taken on a number of different uses. During a period in the mid-1980s, the American drag performer RuPaul lived in the tower of the hotel.

In 2000, the building was designated a New York City landmark.