History and architecture
The Old Merchant's House is a brick town house with three stories, a basement and an attic. Completed in 1832, it was one in a row of six. Joseph Brewster built the houses and lived in number 29 until it was sold to Seabury Tredwell in 1835. His daughter, Hiss Gertrude Tredwell, was born in the house in 1840 and died there in 1933. The house was then purchased and preserved intact as a museum.
The building has existed for 130 years in its original state, inside and out. The house is a unique document of its period; it shows with unrivaled authenticity how a prosperous merchant of the 1830's lived. In addition, the building is a fine example of New York architecture of the Greek Revival period.
It has been given national landmark status through its designation by the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
At the public hearing, the Chairman of the Borough President's CommunityPlanning Board No.2 noted that the Old Merchant's House is one of the expressive buildings in its area showing the character of urban New York in the 19th century.
The neighborhood is again becoming residential, and these old buildings should stand with the new. The curator of the American wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art evaluated the building as “a unique, and I stress the word unique, survival in the City of New York. It remains today inside and out a perfect example of Greek Revival domestic architecture and style. The preservation of the house with its contents is of the utmost importance for both historical and aesthetic reasons. “
Sources and further reading
This history comes from the Landmarks app’s historical catalog. Names and building uses may reflect the period described.