Monday, September 28, 2026

LPC set to revisit new building proposed next to Merchant's House Museum

The fate of a proposed new building next to the Merchant's House Museum is back before the Landmarks Preservation Commission this week. 

Tomorrow, the LPC is expected to review plans for a 9-story, 105-foot-tall building at 27 E. Fourth St., adjacent to the landmarked 19th-century house museum between Lafayette Street and the Bowery, according to Village Preservation. 

The proposal previously came before the Commission in March, when it drew extensive public testimony in opposition. Commissioners did not discuss or vote on the application at that meeting. Tuesday's session is expected to include discussion of the proposal, though no additional public testimony will be taken. The LPC may receive written comments in advance. 

The Merchant's House, built in 1832 and designated a New York City landmark in 1965, has long raised concerns about construction on the neighboring property. The museum's exterior and interior are both landmarked, including its original ornamental plasterwork. 

Village Preservation, which opposes the proposal, said the museum's experts believe construction next door could cause "extensive and irreversible damage" to the building despite safeguards proposed for the project. 

For the past 15-plus years, Kalodop II Park Corp. has been trying to build a new development on the site of a one-level garage that stores food carts. The developers need approval of a zoning text amendment and special permits to proceed with the project. In February, Community Board 2's Landmarks Committee disapproved the plan. 

Preservationists and museum officials have argued that excavation, vibrations and other construction activity could threaten the historic structure.

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