Landmarks Preservation Commission approves hotel project that could potentially damage the city's oldest residential landmark

EVG file photo

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted yesterday to approve an 8-story hotel next door to the landmarked Merchant's House Museum on Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette, prompting a dire response from museum officials. 

As we reported last week, the development firm Kalodop II Park Corp. has been trying to build the hotel for nearly 12 years; the project has been in limbo for the past three years.

In January 2019, the developers sued New York City, the City Council and Councilmember Carlina Rivera over rejecting their Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) application for the project. 

The developers have been seeking a spot rezoning to build an 8-story hotel on the site — higher than the current zoning allowed. The full City Council ultimately voted down the rezoning in September 2019. 

Preservationists, not to mention the leadership of Merchant's House, the circa-1832 building, were concerned that the construction could permanently damage the structure, one of only six residences in NYC that is both an exterior and an interior landmark. Local elected officials and Community Board 2 have all opposed the current application for the 8-story hotel. 

During yesterday's meeting, the LPC did not allow for testimony from the Merchant's House or their engineering team.

 The Merchant's House released this statement after yesterday's decision... 

[T]he LPC voted to approve the development next door to the Merchant's House, despite overwhelming and unanimous opposition from the community, preservation organizations, public officials and, of course, from the Merchant's House and our engineers and preservation architects. 

When asked, the developer's engineers admitted that they have no data about what standards are appropriate when dealing with historic decorative plaster. Further, none of the participants today was aware of the plaster study that confirmed irreparable damage will take place. 

The LPC mandated that certain standards relating to vibration monitoring be established. However, even the most state-of-the-art vibration monitoring systems only announce when the vibration limit has been reached — at which point the damage has already occurred. 

Today's vote by the LPC to greenlight a development that is certain to cause irreparable damage to the Merchant's House Museum is a warning to every other landmark in New York City. If the Merchant's House, one of New York's most treasured historical assets, can be subjected to adjacent construction that will destroy its historic fabric, then every landmark in New York City is at risk. 

This decision, even if reversed, will be a permanent stain on the Commission, which has failed in its existential duty to protect Manhattan’s first and New York City’s oldest residential landmark. The Merchant’s House Museum will take aggressive legal action to halt this unacceptable development. 

Thank you to all who wrote letters of support to the LPC and to those who were able to attend or listen to the meeting today. We couldn't do it without you.

You can donate to their legal fund here. (You can support them in other ways here.) You can watch a replay of the meeting here. The Merchant's House proposal starts at the 25-minute mark.

Proposed hotel next to the Merchant's House Museum returns to the Landmarks Preservation Commission

EVG file photo

A developer's decades-long effort to build a hotel next door to the landmarked Merchant's House Museum on Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette is back in the news. 

Merchant's House officials learned yesterday that the Landmarks Preservation Commission will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 12, to discuss — and possibly vote on — the proposed development for an 8-story hotel. (Find the meeting and registration info at this link. A PDF of the presentation is here. A livestream will be on the LPC YouTube page. Village Preservation has more details.)

Per the Merchant's House: 

At the last LPC hearing nearly three years ago, the LPC declined to vote on the proposed development. If the LPC now votes to approve the project, the Merchant's House will be forced to close to the public for at least two years to safeguard the house and the collection. Construction next door will cause significant structural damage to our landmark 1832 building. 

Shockingly, landmark status does not guarantee protection.

The development firm Kalodop II Park Corp. has been trying to build the hotel for nearly 12 years. 

In January 2019, the developers sued New York City, the City Council and Councilmember Carlina Rivera over the rejection of their Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) application for the project. (Not sure whatever happened to that suit.)

The developers have been seeking a spot rezoning to build an 8-story hotel on the site — higher than the current zoning allowed. The full City Council ultimately voted down the rezoning in September 2019. 

Preservationists, not to mention the leadership of Merchant's House, the circa-1832 building, were concerned that the construction could permanently damage the structure, one of only six residences in NYC that is both an exterior and an interior landmark. Local elected officials and Community Board 2 have all opposed the current application for the 8-story hotel. 

The developers have promised to take extensive measures to ensure that the neighboring structure would not be harmed during the hotel construction. 

This project dates to 2011.

The proposed site of the hotel, 27 E. Fourth St., currently houses Al-Amin Food Inc., which houses carts for street vendors. 

New open space at DEP site debuts on 4th Street near the Bowery

Work is complete on the new open space on Fourth Street between 2 Cooper Square and the Merchant's House Museum.

EVG reader JOY spotted the gates open yesterday... with a few folks inside the long-empty lot ...

According to the Parks Department website, construction is now 100% complete... and the completion date was moved up from October to this month.

As noted in previous posts, since the 1990s, the Department of Environmental Preservation has used this city-owned space to work on shafts connected to the underground network of tunnels that supply NYC's drinking water. 

Several years ago, there were public meetings to gather ideas for "passive recreation space" here between the Bowery and Lafayette. And this is the result of those.

As a few readers have noted, the design couldn't include large trees because the space is above the water-tunnel site ... and the roots would interfere.  

And to be clear, this is still an active DEP site... and, occasionally, city trucks will need to access the space... as the schematic shows...

New outdoor space shapes on 4th Street

Construction is wrapping up at the new open space in the long-vacant lot on Fourth Street between 2 Cooper Square and the Merchant's House Museum...

There are a dozen benches and a water fountain. No sign of any shade just yet.

According to the Parks Department website, construction is 90% complete. Parks still lists October as the opening date.

As noted in previous posts, since the 1990s, the Department of Environmental Preservation has used this city-owned space to work on shafts connected to the underground network of tunnels that supply NYC's drinking water. 

Several years ago, there were public meetings to gather ideas for "passive recreation space" here between the Bowery and Lafayette. And this is the result of those. 

Top photo by Steven; second pic by Goggla.

Work on green space for long-vacant site on 4th Street near the Bowery is underway

Construction is now underway on an open green space in the long-vacant lot on Fourth Street between 2 Cooper Square and the Merchant's House Museum. (Thanks to the EVG reader for the photo!) 

Since the 1990s, the Department of Environmental Preservation has used this city-owned space to work on shafts connected to the underground network of tunnels that supply NYC's drinking water. 

Several years ago, there were public meetings to gather ideas for some sort of "passive recreation space" here between the Bowery and Lafayette. 

Here's a look at a schematic via the Parks Department website ... (click on the image for a better view) ... as you can see, the space will include benches, synthetic turfgrass and some trees...

This project, which dates back years, was funded by Mayor de Blasio and now-former City Councilmember Rosie Mendez. Per the Parks Department, work here is slated to be complete in October 2022.

Concern again for the historic Merchant's House Museum on 4th Street

The landmarked Merchant's House Museum is sounding the alarm again — this time over yet another new proposed development for the lot next door on Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette.

Here are more details via the Merchant’s House website:

As if 2020 wasn't difficult enough for our dear Merchant's House, the developer filed an application in early December for a new building next door at 27 East 4th Street, one that is taller and more massive than the original proposed hotel!

Irreversible damage from the construction is guaranteed and the risk of collapse of our fragile 189-year-old landmark building is even higher.

For the third time, on December 17, Community Board 2 voted unanimously to REJECT the developer's latest application. 

The application now goes before the Landmarks Preservation Commission next Tuesday. (The website has details on how you can take part in the LPC meeting.)

Here is some background about this ongoing project: The development firm Kalodop II Park Corp. has been trying to build a hotel adjacent to the Merchant’s House Museum for nearly 10 years. 

In January 2019, the developers sued New York City, the City Council and Councilmember Carlina Rivera over the rejection of their Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) application for the project.

The Real Deal first reported on the suit:

Kalodop's lawsuit ... asks the court to reverse the City Council's disapproval and enter a judgement approving its ULURP application. It argues that the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the City Planning Commission had already approved their project and attributes community anxiety to "a grass roots campaign of fear and misinformation" from the Merchant's House Museum that "spurred local community members and representatives into action with a false narrative that any construction at the property would cause the Merchant's House to be catastrophically damaged."

The lawsuit is still pending, which, as the Merchant's House points out, means that the developer currently has two open applications for construction on the same lot. 

The developers were seeking a spot rezoning to build an 8-story hotel on the site — higher than the current zoning allowed. The full City Council ultimately voted down the rezoning in September 2019.

Preservationists, not to mention the leadership of Merchant's House, the circa-1832 building, were concerned that the construction could permanently damage the structure, one of only six residences in NYC that is both an exterior and an interior landmark. Aside from Rivera, Sen. Brad Hoylman, Borough President Gale Brewer, Assemblymember Deborah Glick and Community Board 2 were also opposed to the current application for the 8-story hotel. 

The developers have promised to take extensive measures to ensure that the neighboring structure would not be harmed during the hotel construction. 

This project dates to 2011. After several hearings through the years (here and here, as examples), the Landmarks Preservation Commission eventually signed off on the project (in 2014) as did the City Planning Commission (August 2018).

The developers can still build a six-story building on the site even without the rezoning. (They also own the lot around the corner at 403 Lafayette St., which the Merchant's House has suggested would make a better spot for the hotel.)

The proposed site of the hotel, 27 E. Fourth St., currently houses Al-Amin Food Inc., which houses carts for street vendors. 

More history of the Merchant's House: "Built in 1832 and home to a prosperous merchant family, the Tredwells, and their Irish servants for almost 100 years, it remains complete with the family’s original furnishings, household objects, clothing, and personal memorabilia."

The Museum is currently open by appointment.

The Merchant’s House Museum reopen to visitors on Saturday (tomorrow!)

 

The Merchant's House on Fourth Street reopens to visitors — by appointment only — tomorrow (Sept. 19!).

This will be the first time that visitor have been allowed inside the landmarked building since mid-March. For now, the four-floor house will only be available for guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tour capacity is limited to five guests from the same household group/bubble/etc. Check out this link for more details.

 

The Merchant’s House, between the Bowery and Lafayette, is the only 19-century family home in New York City preserved intact on the inside and out. 

More history: "Built in 1832 and home to a prosperous merchant family, the Tredwells, and their Irish servants for almost 100 years, it remains complete with the family’s original furnishings, household objects, clothing, and personal memorabilia."

Go visit the Merchant's House Museum — online

The Merchant's House on Fourth Street is currently closed to the public. However, you can stay pay a visit: The museum is now up and running virtually. Exhibitions, tours, talks, videos and programs are available online, including:

Virtual Tour: Matriarch of the family, Eliza Tredwell (as presented by Museum Historian Ann Haddad), is leading a room-by-room virtual tour of her home on social media each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

And!

Check out lectures and illustrated presentations on 19th century New York, as well as TV shows and specials starring the Merchant's House, including the popular episode of "Blueprint NYC" featured on PBS.

Find all the online content at this link.

The Merchant’s House, between the Bowery and Lafayette, is the only 19-century family home in New York City preserved intact on the inside and out.

More history: "Built in 1832 and home to a prosperous merchant family, the Tredwells, and their Irish servants for almost 100 years, it remains complete with the family’s original furnishings, household objects, clothing, and personal memorabilia."

Someone tagged the steps at the Merchant's House Museum

On Sunday night, someone tagged the stairs at the landmarked Merchant's House Museum on Fourth Street with the word Zealot.

Staff at the Merchant's House posted about the vandalism on Instagram:

The 1832 stoop, urn pedestals, entrance surround, and window sills and lintels are all made of “Tuckahoe marble,” from quarries in the lower Hudson Valley. The marble was nearly pure white in color and considered the finest grade. #shameonyou

The steps have been vandalized before, most recently in 2015.

Merchant's House, between the Bowery and Lafayette, is the only 19-century family home in New York City preserved intact on the inside and out.

'Fear and misinformation' on 4th Street: Developer sues over rejected hotel plans

[Via SRA Architecture and Engineering]

The development firm Kalodop II Park Corp., who has been trying to build a hotel adjacent to the Merchant’s House Museum on Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette, is now suing New York City, the City Council and Councilmember Carlina Rivera over the rejection of their ULURP application for the project.

The Real Deal first reported on the suit:

Kalodop’s lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, asks the court to reverse the City Council’s disapproval and enter a judgement approving its ULURP application. It argues that the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the City Planning Commission had already approved their project and attributes community anxiety to “a grass roots campaign of fear and misinformation” from the Merchant’s House Museum that “spurred local community members and representatives into action with a false narrative that any construction at the property would cause the Merchant’s House to be catastrophically damaged.”

The developers were seeking a spot rezoning to build an 8-story hotel on the site — higher than the current zoning allowed. The public review process, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), began last spring. The full City Council ultimately voted down the rezoning this past September.

Preservationists, not to mention the leadership of Merchant's House, the circa-1832 building, were concerned that the construction could permanently damage the structure, one of only six residences in NYC that is both an exterior and an interior landmark. Sen. Brad Hoylman, Borough President Gale Brewer, Assemblymember Deborah Glick and Community Board 2 were also opposed to the current application for the 8-story hotel.

The developers had promised to take extensive measures to ensure that the neighboring structure would not be harmed during the hotel construction.

This project dates to 2011. After several hearings through the years (here and here, as examples), the Landmarks Preservation Commission eventually signed off on the project (in 2014) as did the City Planning Commission (last August).

Not mentioned in The Real Deal article: The developers can still build a six-story building on the site even without the rezoning. They also own the lot around the corner at 403 Lafayette St., which the Merchant's House has suggested would make a better spot for the hotel.

The proposed site of the hotel, 27 E. Fourth St., currently houses Al-Amin Food Inc., which houses hot-dog carts for street vendors.

Previously.

Help plan a park at the DEP shaft site on 4th Street

That long-vacant lot on Fourth Street between 2 Cooper Square and the Merchant's House Museum has always been a bit of a mystery ... seems like prime space just waiting for a, say, hotel!

Since the 1990s, the Department of Environmental Preservation (DEP) has used this city-owned space to work on shafts connected to the underground network of tunnels that supply the city's drinking water.

Now, as promised some years ago, this lot will be turned into a city park — or rather "passive recreation space."

On Monday night, reps from the city will host a meeting to discuss usage for the site...



Per the invite:

Please join us to discuss creating a passive recreation space at the DEP shaft site on East Fourth Street

Monday, Oct. 1:

6:30 p.m. — Meet first to see the DEP shaft site

7 p.m. — Scope meeting at JASA Green Residence, 200 E. Fifth St. at the Bowery

This project was funded by Mayor de Blasio and former Council Member Rosie Mendez, and is supported by Council Member Carlina Rivera.

NYC Parks is starting the design process for this project by holding a scope meeting, in which local residents and stakeholders to learn about the opportunities at the site and provide feedback. With this input, we will develop a design to be presented to Community Board 2 for public review.

The park space here will measure 9,750 square feet. This DNAinfo article from 2016 has more background.

[Updated] City Council committees vote on proposed hotel next to the Merchant's House today

After the public hearing on Monday, the City Council Zoning Sub-Committee and the Land Use Committee will vote on the developer's application today to build an 8-story hotel next door to the Merchant's House Museum on Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette.

The developers, Kalodop II Park, are seeking a spot rezoning to build the structure that high. The public review process, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), began in the spring.

As noted in previous posts, preservationists, not to mention the leadership of Merchant's House, the circa-1832 building, are concerned that the construction could permanently damage the structure, one of only six residences in NYC that is both an exterior and an interior landmark.

Sen. Brad Hoylman testified in front of the City Council's Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchising on Monday in opposition to the construction of the proposed hotel.



Following Monday's hearing, his office released the following statement:

Hoylman joins Borough President Gale Brewer, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, Manhattan Community Board 2, preservationists, and residents in opposition to the current application.

Senator Hoylman said: “The approval of this building would result in potentially irrevocable harm to the Merchant's House. Furthermore, our city’s zoning laws should not be changed at the behest of a single developer, especially when the survival of a 186-year old building like the Merchant's House is at stake.

It’s a miracle that the Merchant's House has survived intact both inside and out for so many years. It’s our responsibility to ensure the future generations of New Yorkers are able to experience the rich history of the Merchant's House. I urge the City Council to reject this application.”

Today's vote is expected at 10:30 a.m. at City Hall (250 Broadway), Committee Room (2nd floor).

The full City Council will weigh in next.

Updated 1:30 p.m.

The committees voted no on the rezoning...the full City Council votes next week, though it is believed they will follow the lead of the committees...

View this post on Instagram

Council Member @carlinalrivera says NO to 8-story hotel next door! City Planning OVERRULED! #rightmakesmight #dontmesswithgertrude

A post shared by Merchant's House Museum (@merchantshouse) on Sep 20, 2018 at 9:21am PDT

This vote was only for the rezoning that would allow the eight floors.... the developer still can still build six floors as of right. More to come.

Updated 9/27

The full City Council voted down the rezoning...

View this post on Instagram

BREAKING NEWS from City Hall: City Council VOTES UNANIMOUS NO on 8-story hotel next door! Thank you @carlinalrivera @nyccouncil #rightmakesmight #sofarsogood #savethemerchantshouse #manhattansfirstlandmark #defeatthedevelopers #dontmesswithgertrude

A post shared by Merchant's House Museum (@merchantshouse) on Sep 26, 2018 at 12:31pm PDT

City Council to hold public hearing Monday on hotel next to the Merchant’s House

[Illustration by SJ Costello]

The 186-year-old Merchant's House Museum continues the fight against the developers of the proposed hotel next door to the city, state and federal landmark on Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette.

Next up: The City Council Zoning Subcommittee meeting on Monday morning.

The eight-story hotel, which has been in the works for several years, would rise 100 feet on a lot to the west — currently housing Al-Amin Food Inc., which stores food carts.

The developers, Kalodop II Park, are seeking a spot rezoning to build the structure that high. The seven-month public review process, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), began in the spring.

This development is of grave concern to preservationists, not to mention the leadership of Merchant's House, the circa-1832 building that is one of only six residences in NYC that is both an exterior and an interior landmark. (The Merchant’s House has a call to arms, which you can read here.)

However, landmark status does not guarantee protection from adjacent construction, and Merchant's House officials are worried that the ensuing excavation and subsequent work will damage their building.


[Via SRA Architecture and Engineering]

On Aug. 25, the City Planning Commission voted to approve the application, rejecting the denial recommendations of both Community Board 2 and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

The application is now with City Council. A public hearing is set for Monday morning at 9:30 at 250 Broadway, 16th Floor.

As Curbed reported on June 1:

The Council member representing this part of the East Village, Carolina Rivera, seems to be on the side of the museum and preservationists, saying in a statement in May that she would not support the project until the museum was assured of the safety of its building.

The City Council is the final stop for this project, and other City Council members usually tend to side with the Council member representing that particular neighborhood...

Rivera disappointed preservationists and some other residents last month with her yes vote for the 14th Street tech hub without any substantial zoning limitations on neighboring blocks.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Concern again for Merchant's House Museum as developer moves forward with hotel next door

Report: Landmarks Preservation Commission OKs plans for hotel next door to the Merchant's House

Plans filed for new 8-story hotel next to the historic Merchant's House Museum on East 4th Street

CB2 denies zoning amendment for proposed hotel next to the Merchant's House

News via Instagram tonight from the Community Board 2 meeting ... where the Board denied the necessary zoning text amendments that the developers of a proposed 8-story hotel needed to build next door to the landmarked Merchant's House Museum on Fourth Street. (Find more background here.) Next stop on the review tour: The Manhattan Borough President's office ... and eventually before City Council, who has the final say.

CB2 voted:developer’s application DENIED!! Now on to the Manhattan Borough President! Thanks to the droves of #merchantshouse supporters who showed up tonight and to those who send support from afar - and thanks to our good friends at CB2! #onaroll #dontmesswithgertrude

A post shared by Merchant's House Museum (@merchantshouse) on May 9, 2018 at 4:59pm PDT

The past and future of the Merchant's House Museum

The Wall Street Journal's real-estate section (Mansion!) checked in with a feature on The Merchant's House Museum on Fourth Street, NYC's only 19th-century family home preserved intact.

The story is behind the paper's paywall. Here's an excerpt:

For nearly 100 years it was the residence of hardware merchant Seabury Tredwell and his family. Equally significant, it is the only such building to have intact servants’ quarters, giving a rare glimpse into the everyday lives of the Irish immigrant girls. The late Federal/Greek Revival residence was among the first 20 buildings to be landmarked under the city’s new landmarks law in 1965.

And...

The story of the house begins in 1831. Hatter and real-estate speculator Joseph Brewster bought two adjacent lots for $3,550 and $3,000 in the booming Bond Street area to build two townhouses. He sold one home and moved into the other at 29 E. Fourth St. in 1832. Three years later he sold his townhouse for $18,000 to Seabury Tredwell — about the time Mr. Tredwell was leaving the hardware business for other ventures at age 55. He moved in with his wife, Eliza, and seven children. Their eighth child, Gertrude, born in 1840, was the last occupant. She lived there until she died impoverished at 93. The other townhouse was demolished in 1988.

The Journal asked asked broker Peter Sommer to estimate the listing price if the home were to go on the market today as a single-family residence with six bedrooms, one full bathroom and three half-baths. The answer: $6 million, maybe $9 million with a renovation.

The article doesn't address the pending development next door — an 8-story hotel. Museum officials and preservationists worry that the construction may cause damage to the historical home here between the Bowery and Lafayette.

The developers have promised to take extensive measures to ensure that the neighboring structure will not be harmed during the hotel construction.

As previously reported, CB2 held a public meeting (standing-room only, apparently) last Wednesday evening to discuss the proposed construction. The Board will make its decision on May 9. (Will update time and place later.) You can read the Merchant’s House call to action here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Concern again for Merchant's House Museum as developer moves forward with hotel next door

Image from 2008 via Wikipedia Commons

Concern again for Merchant's House Museum as developer moves forward with hotel next door

Nearly four years have passed since we heard much about the proposed 8-floor hotel at 27 E. Fourth St. — next door to the Merchant’s House Museum here between the Bowery and Lafayette.

In April 2014, the Landmarks Preservation Commission approved plans for the hotel. Now the City Planning Commission has received the developer’s application for the special permits they need to begin construction.

Tomorrow night, Community Board 2 is holding a public hearing on the proposed construction. The meeting starts at 6:30, NYU Silver Building, 32 Waverly Place, Room 520.

This development is of grave concern to preservationists, not to mention the leadership of Merchant's House, the circa-1832 building that is a city, state and federal landmark. (It is one of only six residences in NYC that is both an exterior and an interior landmark.)

However, landmark status does not guarantee protection from adjacent construction, and Merchant's House officials are worried that the ensuing excavation and subsequent work will damage their building.

Merchant’s House has issued a call to action (read that here):

Why Say NO!

• The proposed hotel, at 100 feet tall, is in violation of the City’s Zoning Resolution. The developer’s application for a zoning text amendment – “spot zoning” – in effect would rewrite the law for a series of waivers that benefit the developer alone.

• At eight stories, the proposed hotel towers over the 4 ½ story Merchant’s House (completely blocking sunlight to the rear garden) and is grossly incompatible with the surrounding buildings in the Noho Historic District.

• If the Planning Commission approves the application, the developer would be able to proceed – and the museum’s fragile, 186-year-old building would suffer catastrophic structural damage and likely collapse during construction.

• The Merchant’s House is New York City’s only family home preserved intact, inside and out, from the 19th century. It is a vital – and irreplaceable – New York City cultural institution, open to the public since 1936.

If the Merchant’s House — Manhattan’s first designated landmark in 1965 — can’t be protected, NO New York City landmark will be safe from out-of-control private development.

For their part, as Curbed has reported, the developers have promised to take extensive measures to ensure that the neighboring structure will not be harmed.

Over an 18-month period, architect Ed Carroll presented three different designs to the LPC before receiving the OK in 2014. The hotel is still apparently underwhelming. Per Curbed:

"Yeah, the building is boring, but it's appropriate," said Commissioner Michael Goldblum. The other Commissioners concurred, for the most part, that the new design featuring beige brick, glass, and metal spandrels, met the basic requirements they had set out for it. The only Commissioner to vote against the proposal, Margery Perlmutter, called it "drab on so many levels." "I feel like we've been exhausted into saying yes to this proposal, so I'm saying no," she said.

[Via SRA Architecture and Engineering]

The proposed site of the hotel, 27 E. Fourth St., currently houses Al-Amin Food Inc., which stores food carts.


[EVG file photo]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Landmarks Preservation Commission OKs plans for hotel next door to the Merchant's House

Plans filed for new 8-story hotel next to the historic Merchant's House Museum on East 4th Street

Someone tagged the 1832 white marble stoop of the Merchant’s House Museum — again

[Image via Facebook]

On Friday evening, the circa-1832 white marble stoop of the Merchant’s House Museum was hit with graffiti.

In July, someone tossed high-staining ink in the same location here on East Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette.


[Image via Merchant's House Museum]

"We are heartbroken, as you can imagine," Margaret Halsey Gardiner, the Museum's executive director, told us via email.

She said that the cost to remove the latest tags will cost the Museum upwards of $4,000.

Fall in love with this section of East 4th Street

[EVG photo from today actually]

At the Times today, writer Julie Besonen checks in with a piece on two good reasons to visit East Fourth Street between the Bowery and Lafayette. (Spoiler: The Merchant's House and Swift Hibernian Lounge.)

Among tother things, the article provides an update about the new 8-floor hotel going up next door to the Merchant's House.

To the article:

Margaret Halsey Gardiner, the museum’s executive director, struck a conciliatory note. “We’re trying to work with the developer and their engineers on protection plans that will ensure the safety of the house during demolition of the garage, excavation of the foundation and the construction of the hotel,” said Ms. Gardiner, who is known as Pi.

Read the whole article here.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Landmarks Preservation Commission OKs plans for hotel next door to the Merchant's House

Plans filed for new 8-story hotel next to the historic Merchant's House Museum on East 4th Street

[EVG file photo from March]

On April 8, the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) approved plans for an 8-floor hotel to rise next door to the landmarked Merchant's House Museum at 27 E. Fourth St. (Read Curbed for all the background here.)

And yesterday, the developers officially filed those plans with the DOB. The proposal shows a 17,141 square-foot building (13,755 residential; 3,386 commercial) with 28 "dwelling units" or hotel rooms here between the Bowery and Lafayette.

The April 8 decision came nearly 18 months after the developers first brought the proposal before the LPC. "Yeah, the building is boring, but it's appropriate," Commissioner Michael Goldblum said of the latest hotel renderings, as Curbed reported.

During this process, preservationists and museum advocates discussed how the construction could possibly damage the circa-1832 Merchant's House. Of particular concern: the 182-year-old building's original plasterwork, "which is considered by some experts to be among the finest in the nation," according to The Villager.

Demolition to the east of the Merchant’s House in 1988 caused nearly $1 million worth of structural damage and forced the museum to close for two years, but it spared the plaster. Now, the advocates believe jackhammering and bulldozing on the western lot will leave the museum in danger of losing the plaster forever — or, at the very least, require highly expensive preparations just to minimize that damage.

27 E. Fourth St. currently houses Al-Amin Food Inc., which stores food carts. Look for demolition permits for this one-level structure next.


[Via Google]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Report: Landmarks Preservation Commission OKs plans for hotel next door to the Merchant's House

Report: Landmarks Preservation Commission OKs plans for hotel next door to the Merchant's House

The Landmarks Preservation Commission today approved plans for an 8-floor hotel to rise next door to the landmarked Merchant's House Museum at 27 E. Fourth St., as Curbed reports this afternoon.

This decision comes nearly 18 months after the developers first brought the proposal before the LPC.

Preservationists remain concerned that the construction could possibly damage the circa-1832 Merchant's House.

The space next door to the museum is currently this one-level structure… housing Al-Amin Food Inc., which stores food carts…


[Via Google]

Meanwhile, does this area really need another hotel?

Previously.