Reminder: Hearing for 9-Story Hotel Next to Merchant’s House Museum; Help Save A Beloved NYC Landmark

Tomorrow, Tuesday September 11th at 3:45 P.M., the Landmarks Preservation Commission will hold a public hearing on a proposal to erect a 9-story hotel next door to the landmarked Old Merchant’s House Museum at 27 East 4th Street in the NoHo Historic District (images and information about the proposal HERE). We are deeply concerned that construction of the proposed new 9-story building could damage or even undermine the adjacent museum, an 1832 rowhouse which is an interior and exterior landmark, New York’s only 19th century family home preserved inside and out, an irreplaceable part of our streetscape, and an invaluable cultural and educational institution. All of this could be jeopardized by inappropriate construction next door.

Therefore GVSHP and the Historic Districts Council have written to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, Department of Buildings, and the Parks Department (which owns the Merchant’s House) urging them to work together to ensure that no construction takes place next door unless measures are put in place that ensure that the Merchant’s House will not be damaged or undermined — read the letter HERE. GVSHP has also written to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to express our extreme concerns about the lack of appropriate information and the failure to follow required procedure in the filing of the application for this development (read our letter HERE).  
 
Even if the safety and stability of the Merchant’s House can be ensured, GVSHP has deep concerns about the proposed building’s design, which seems more appropriate for midtown, and its scale, which is overwhelming as compared to the Merchant’s House.

HOW TO HELP:

September 10, 2012