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Merchant's House Museum
Old Merchant's House (Seabury Tredwell House) | |
New York City Landmark No. 0006, 1244
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| Location | 29 East Fourth Street, Manhattan, New York City |
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| Coordinates | 40°43′39.6″N 73°59′32.5″W / 40.727667°N 73.992361°W |
| Built | 1832 |
| Architectural style | Federal-style (exterior) Greek revival (interior) |
| Website | merchantshouse |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000548[1] |
| NYSRHP No. | 06101.000054[3] |
| NYCL No. | 0006, 1244 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966[1] |
| Designated NHL | June 23, 1965[2] |
| Designated NYSRHP | June 23, 1980[3] |
| Designated NYCL | October 14, 1965 (exterior)[4] December 22, 1981 (interior)[5] |
The Merchant's House Museum, also known as the Old Merchant's House and the Seabury Tredwell House, is a historic house museum at 29 East Fourth Street in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, United States. Built by the hatter Joseph Brewster between 1831 and 1832, the edifice is a four-story building with a Federal-style brick facade and a Greek Revival interior. It was the Tredwell family's residence for almost a century before becoming a museum in 1936. The Merchant's House Museum is the only 19th-century residence in Manhattan with its original exterior and interior intact.
Brewster built the house as a speculative development, selling it in 1835 to the merchant Seabury Tredwell, who lived there with his family and servants. The structure remained in the family until the death of the youngest child, Gertrude, in 1933. George Chapman, a distant relative, purchased the building and transformed it into a museum. Over the next three decades, the museum's operators struggled to obtain funds to restore the deteriorating house. The architect Joseph Roberto completely renovated the building from 1970 to 1980, and the museum underwent further restoration in the early 1990s after the demolition of nearby buildings damaged it. During the 2010s and 2020s, museum officials protested the construction of a nearby hotel because of concerns that the project would further damage the house.
The Merchant's House Museum has a raised basement, a front doorway accessed by a stoop, a slate roof, and a rear garden. The interior consists of a family room and kitchen in the basement; two parlors on the first floor; and bedrooms on the upper floors. The museum's collection has over 4,500 items owned by the Tredwell family, including pieces of furniture, clothing, household items, and personal items. The museum also hosts various performances and events, and it operates tours and educational programs. Reviewers have praised both the museum's exhibits and the architecture. The building's facade and interior are New York City designated landmarks, and the building is a National Historic Landmark.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "Old Merchant's House (Seabury Tredwell House)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 15, 2007. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012.
- ^ a b "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. November 7, 2014. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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