The Merchant’s Misfortune: The Merchant’s House Museum – A Tale of Survival

Built in 1832, the Merchant’s House at 29 East 4th Street is the City’s only family home to have survived intact – inside and out – from the 19th century. Home to a prosperous merchant family and their Irish servants for almost 100 years and open as a museum since 1936, the late-Federal and Greek Revival Merchant’s House is considered one of the finest surviving examples of domestic architecture from the period. The Merchant’s House was the first building in Manhattan designated a landmark in 1965 and now also one of only 117 interior landmarks in the city. The Landmarks Law in 1965 may have saved it from the wrecker’s ball, but not the inevitable ravages of time.

Michael Devonshire, Director of Conservation at the firm Jan Hird Pokorny Associates, which has overseen all restoration work on the building since 1990, will present a detailed restoration history of this remarkable historic house. He is also a commissioner at the Landmarks Preservation Commission.