Merchant’s House Museum Celebrates 75 Years of Preservation & Education 5/11

On Wednesday, May 11, the Merchant's House will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its official opening as a museum by opening its rarely seen fourth floor Servants' Quarters permanently. Thanks to the mostly-Irish maids who slept and did some of their work there, they are "arguably the oldest intact site of Irish habitation in Manhattan" according to Time Out New York. Visitors are invited to attend a public reception on May 11 from 12 to 5 p.m., with tours of the House and Servants' Quarters, and raise a glass of "founders punch" - served at the opening reception on May 11, 1936 - in honor of the Museum's continued dedication to preserving and sharing the history of domestic life in mid-19th century New York City.

Following the death of Gertrude Tredwell in 1933 (the Tredwell family lived in the House for nearly 100 years), the Merchant's House was turned into a museum by a relative, George Chapman. Chapman wanted to tell the story of the wealthy merchants - like Seabury Tredwell - who built the economic foundations of New York in the early 19th century. Because the Tredwells had made very few changes to the House since the 19th century, their decorative arts, furnishings, and even personal belongings like books and clothing, remained in the House to show how they lived.
Following Chapman's death in 1959, the House was under the stewardship of The Decorator's Club, and then by Joseph and Caroline Roberto, who undertook a major structural restoration of the building during the 1970s. In 1997, under the current Museum administration, an endowment was established for the Museum, thanks in part to a million dollar matching grant from the Vincent Astor Foundation. In 1999, the Merchant's House became part of New York City's Historic House Trust.
As this 179-year-old house celebrates its 75th year as a museum - a shining example of endurance in a City of constant change - its board, staff, and volunteers are looking to the future. By opening the Servants' Quarters, the Museum will be able to present an even more accurate, and diverse, picture of domestic life in mid-19th century New York City.

About the Merchant's House Museum
Celebrating Our 75th Year as Museum (1936-2011)
The Merchant's House Museum is New York City's only family home preserved intact - inside and out - from the mid-19th century. Home to a prosperous merchant-class family and their staff of four (mostly Irish) servants for almost 100 years, it is complete with the family's original furnishings and personal possessions, offering a rare and intimate glimpse of domestic life from 1835-1865.
"Not so much a museum as a raw slice of history" AVENUE Magazine
On the web: www.merchantshouse.org