Merchant's House Museum

1832 - present

The Merchant's House Museum provides exhibitions and public education programs to tell the experiences of a wealthy merchant family and their four Irish servants. According to the New York Preservation Archive Project, the Merchant's House was built in 1832 as "a four-story Greek Revival red row house, marked by distinctive dormer windows and a white marble surround" (NYPAP, 2024). The house was originally owned by the Seabury Tredwell's family. Seabury Tredwell between the ages of 18-21 years old came to New York City in hopes of upper mobility and success around the 1800s. He started a hardware business in 1803 at the age of 23 years old he successfully ran for 32 years. Although he retired, he was actively involved in business, real estate investment, and the advancement of new technology during the late 18th century. Joesph Brewster built a brick and marble row house in 1832 on Fourth Street that Seabury Tredwell would purchase and live in with his family and four Irish servants. The Tredwell family lived in this house for about 100 years. The house and its belongings were intended to be sold by the heir and niece, Lillie Nichols after the youngest member of the Tredwell family, Gertrude Tredwell passed away inside the house in 1933. However, George Chapman, a distant cousin in the family, decided to purchase the house along with the belongings to operate it with the support of a non-profit organization. Through Chapman's decision and involvement, the Merchant's House Museum was opened on May 11th, 1936 to the public. After the Landmarks Preservation law passed in April 1965, this site became Manhattan's first landmark The Museum's website included an alert asking the internet user to help "Save the Merchant's House" because the Landmark Preservation Commission approved a development that would be located next to this Museum and they are concerned that this development would impact the Merchant's House as they describe it as "one of New York's first landmarks" (Merchant's House, 2024).