Between the late-20th century and onwards, the house was owned by Lord Pirrie, the director of Harland & Wolff, a prominent Belfast shipbuilding company, which generally built ocean liners for the White Star Line.

[6] During one occasion in July of 1907, Pirrie was hosting White Star managing director J. Bruce Ismay at the residence, discussing the two-months subsequent voyage of the Lusitania in September.

After initial groundwork drawn up by Alexander Carlisle, a veteran architect of Harland & Wolff, and Thomas Andrews, another who was Pirrie's nephew, an additional smoke stack was extended to the blueprints, a feature designated to enhance the vessels' appearance, therefore rendering the original proposition a four-stacker liner.

The most famous of the three liners, Titanic, later sank on her maiden voyage to New York in April of 1912 after a collision with an iceberg, resulting in the deaths of over 1,500 aboard, with circa 706 rescued by the Carpathia.

Pirrie and his subordinate engineers were not implicated in the subsequent British and American Inquiries over the shortage of lifeboats on board, however Ismay himself infamously received the brunt of the blame for the disaster, ruining his reputation amongst society.