Boardwalk Empire Decor & Architecture

We aren’t big television watchers – but we do have some shows we enjoy, and one of the current two shows is HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. I’ve always been interested in the 1920s and 30s – from the roaring fun to the terrible fallout, so knowing the set for Boardwalk Empire was very carefully researched in every nuance lets me soak up the details.

First off, I uncovered some really interesting information. The show isn’t filmed in New Jersey at all. Thanks to a 15% tax break offered by New York State, the Boardwalk as we see it in the series is in a Brooklyn parking lot! Visual effects artist Chris “Pinkus” Wesselman used archival photographs, postcards, and architectural plans to recreate the Atlantic City boardwalks as accurately as possible. “We got to explore what the old Atlantic City was really like. The piers were one of the toughest parts because every summer they would change—new houses, new advertisements.”

Dave is always interested in architecture and gaining new ideas for another house project, so more than just the compelling storyline make us tune in. The house we know the most about is that of gangster Chalky White. Dave and I both were drawn to the circular doorways leading from the entry hall:

There are a lot of other very interesting things about this house as well. The stained glass adorning the windows, the detail in the wood floors. I wish I had closeups – but it seems the pattern changes depending upon which side of the doorway you are on – wider in the entry hall, more of a braid inlay in the parlor.

I love the mirror over the fireplace – on closer shots you can see each mirror edge is beveled. I’m a sucker for beveled glass. Also note the fixture in the dining room. This is not your typical Arts & Crafts home – certainly not influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, whose name is practically synonymous with the style. I wonder if we’ll ever get a good look at the exterior?

Another shot of the dining room – here you can see again the stained glass windows. Very unusual for that time period – I would so love to know more about this house!

What little I could uncover came from an interview here, where set designer Bill Groom tells us this New York home is actually a privately owned property that has been tastefully restored by the owners “down to the wallpaper, very close to a museum restoration.” Seriously, I would love to see a photo shoot of this house and know more about the origins of it – like who was the artist who did that stained glass? What color is the dining room wall? It looks like Benjamin Moore’s Georgian Green (HC-115) but that’s just me guessing.

The next really cool, and really different home is Jimmy’s beachfront home. I’ve spent some time trying to figure out the layout of this house – and of course, the exterior they show may not belong to the same house as the interiors are filmed in, but I actually suspect it might be the same inside and out that we are seeing.

First, the entry – though this gives me pause because I notice the painted shaker shingle on the walls of the entry, below the windows. Was this an open porch before? The roofline doesn’t seem to suggest it.

Whether it was or was not, I just love how light filters though this house. Rooms are delineated by windows. I’ve spent some time trying to sort out the layout – first, there’s a casual dining area in the below photo, and back through the entry hall is a small kitchen, with another room behind it. I don’t have a shot of it, but in another section of the series I saw a formal dining table that also seemed to face the front of the house just as this one does, so that may be what’s beyond the kitchen. It would make sense when comparing the inside to the outside.

This room is joined by a central living room, then another set of glass doors leads out to a large sunroom space with a view of the ocean. I love the rustic fireplace to the right!

And here the sunroom – part of it seems to be Angie’s painting studio and another part is a more casual dining area. I have to be honest and say I’d paint the woodwork – it’s so dark, and we like beach homes to be light and bright (I’ve not really ever liked dark paneling, tongue and groove, clapboard and wainscotting all look better painted to me!).

I also don’t much care for any of the furniture in this house – it’s definitely all period but little of it is to my liking! Still, that doesn’t stop me from saying this has to be one of the prettiest, most light-filled houses I’ve seen from this era. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to dig up any information on this house – not its location, history… nothing. It’s just eye candy.

Next up is the Commodore’s residence. I spent some time going through Dave’s architecture books trying to sort out WHAT to call this very heavy, very ornate style. I see a little Russian influence, a little Gothic, a little Byzantine (the ceilings especially)… surely this is a blend!

It’s quite a bit too heavy and dark for my taste (I like light!) but I think I could look at that ceiling for a very long time.

It’s a more ornate version of the McKim, Mead and White, Pennsylvania Station in New York (demolished in 1965) – which looks very much like the Baths of Caracalla.

Only, this ceiling is flat…

Everything about it is heavily carved – just look at this door! Part of a set. Love them. For myself, I’d set them in a more simple environment so their detail can really shine and take center stage.

And the foyer entry to the formal side of the house (the above doors are just to the right of the chair):

Now, finally, a few spaces I found a little bit more about. First off, Nucky Thompson’s home he shares with Margaret is in actuality on Vinegar Hill, on the Brooklyn Navy Yard property and was the commandant’s house at one point. The set team did a lot of work to restore and decorate it on the parlor floor, then built a period kitchen in what had been a storage space.

Said Bill Groom: “…the bedrooms for that house were built onstage, in the studio, so we have a transitional hallway that exists in both places [the actual house and the studio]. The hallway is identical in both places. That way, the directors can overlap the shooting … It reinforces the connection to the rest of the house.”

Since Groom refers to the parlor floor as being the portion of the home that’s been restored, I’m guessing it’s this hallway he’s referring to:

And seen from the other direction:

I really appreciate several elements of this space. First, the use of a screen for the waiting staff to be discreet and section off the servant’s stairwell from view. I’ve been in many homes with a similar layout, and really thought this to be a brilliant idea I’ve not seen before. The screen extends all the way to the ceiling – ensuring privacy even to the above stairwell. Second, I love the fabric used in these drapes! I also like the ones in Nucky’s Ritz Carlton office, below:

They’re a bit earthy, and even though I know TONS of research was done to make sure everything down to the last paperclip is age-appropriate,  I find the colors quite current.

Long as we are on the subject of fabric and elements I spy that I like… I adore. This chair.

It’s so hard to tell from screenshots, but I do believe the fabric is crewel. The sides and back of the chair are left plain – preventing the piece from becoming too busy. I could see it used today quite easily – in a room painted green or even the salmon tone seen in the embroidery.

The sunroom – new to this season – had Dave and I talking last night. We’ve done lots of research into passive solar homes, and for a while I had done some research on homes with attached greenhouses/conservatories and how to control the amount of heat let into the home.

This one has a separate dining area that can be closed off from the rest of the conservatory by double doors. Another section leads to a back door (you can see Katie on her way down the stairs off to the right) which is again sectioned off entirely from the greenhouse. Below, you can see in the dining area there are shades in place for light control. Also note the curved glass pane transition from roofline to wall.

Now, a little more history. The real Nucky (Nucky L Johnson) actually lived in the Ritz Carlton. However, it looked nothing like this. The true Atlantic City Ritz is pictured here:

Though I do like the creative license taken in the set design for the Ritz, based on the Marlborough-Blenheim & Glenham hotels of the same period – considerably grander, and lighter.

Some images from Nucky’s “office” – many details I like, from the limed walls to the ornate transoms over the doorways.

I could work in a space like that. Really I could.

A few more details I found historically interesting, but that have nothing to do with decor or architecture: The series was inspired by Nelson Johnson’s book, Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times and Corruption of Atlantic City. What helped allow Atlantic City to thrive was the state’s stance on Prohibition. State governor Edward Edward’s ran on a promise to make his state “as wet as the Atlantic Ocean.” When the actual federal law was passed, however, he had little choice. Though New Jersey refused to ratify the amendment, federal authorities made it clear that the law would be enforced. Still, it allowed wiggle room for men like Nucky Johnson to keep the state supplied, often with assistance through bribery.  His estimated income was around $500,000.00 – pretty good money back then! Oh, and the powder blue limo like the one shown in the series reportedly cost $14.000. You can buy a decent car with that money today.

One more piece of trivia: The red carnation in Nucky’s lapel was his signature, he had a fresh one every day. And, apparently, the Nucky in the series has plenty of time yet to rule: Nucky Johnson reined for 30 years, and a recent reference this season puts him at year seven. So – bit of a non-spoiler… butyou know he gets past these charges.