June 11, 2023 - The veteran docent who gave the walking tour of old NoHo to our group of three was very informative. The one and a half to two hour excursion highlights many buildings that were built by wealthy early 19th century New York merchants: Peter Cooper, John Jacob Astor and John Wanamaker, in addition to the history of this section of Manhattan. It also includes more modern day references to artists who owned property here, like Andy Warhol and Robert Mapplethorpe to popular music clubs from the seventies and eighties like CBGB, that gave many famous musicians their start in the day. The focus is, however, the evolution of old New York to today where this area which includes the Bowery, long known as Skid Row, has become revitalized with modern business while maintaining its origins. The walking tours are given on the second and fourth Sundays usually starting at 1:30. Check the web or call for current information. Tickets bought for the tour are $20. Reservations are recommended. This price does not include admission to the museum which is an additional fee. (Seniors and students with ID $10.; General $15.; children under twelve free.) The Merchant House also has garden events in the enclosed rear yard which include wine and jazz music on Thursdays this summer. See their calendar for events you can enjoy.

Don’t miss it if you want see how the large family of a wealthy merchant lived in the mid 1800’s. All furnishings are original & intact. Even their garden was delightful. It is stunning.

A gem in NYC’s treasure box. WORTH EVERY EFFORT (and there’s really not much) AND WORTH YOUR TIME! Do not miss this peek into the past. Self-guided tours are easy. The volunteers are knowledgeable and friendly and passionate about preserving Manhattan’s history. There is nothing like it - go!

I learned so much from my visit to the Merchant's House Museum, through the docent and the detailed self-guided tour booklet provided with the cost of admission. This place is well worth the visit!!

A beautifully preserved and conserved town house from the early 19th century. The house was inhabitants by the Tredwells, a merchant family and turned into a museum in 1930s. Amazing place to revisit the rich history and culture of New York. The tours are well laid out and the staff is wondering. They are incredibly knowledgeable and entertain a lot of questions. The themes of the house museum change as per the history of the house.

Amazing experience and a hidden gem in NoHo! Join the 12pm guided tour, the 90min tour brings you back in time in the building as a true time capsule with original decor and furniture and many details of 19th century wealthy merchant life in Manhattan. A lot of historical knowledge learnt and a lot of fun. Also a fantastic little garden hidden behind the museum.

A good place to spend a few hours while in New York. It's not a big place but it does shine a light on one families forgotten past. Take a self-guided tour. The staff is well informed and helpful.

Well preserved historic home. The self guided tour takes about an hour. A comprehensive guide book is provided upon arrival. The family story is interesting. The staff are helpful and nice. If you have issues climbing stairs it might not be the best place to visit.

Wonderfully preserved and presented 1830s row house museum. Not the most ornate, beautiful, or impressive house, but having so much original furniture , woodwork, and architectural features make it worthwhile. Our guide was very good, well-informed, and friendly. If you have hit most of the other sites in lower Manhattan, and are a historic home buff, this is certainly worth a visit

This was a great little museum tour! We loved our tour guides and their deep knowledge of the house, the time period, and the area. It's small enough to get through in a couple hours, but big enough to have plenty of interesting things inside. It reminded us a lot of the Charles Dickens House Museum in London. Definitely worth the trip!

Attended a wedding ceremony here. Beautiful property. One gentleman who worked in the house was very rude and unfriendly. He was trying to protect the house but came across very short and demanding in his approach. A simple "I'm sorry you can do X" or "unfortunately we can't allow Y" would have been alot better. In addition, he went as far as to ask wedding guests who was going to clean up (while we standing there eatting and enjoying ourselves). If you're that protective of the house, please do not do weddings and take money from couples while you make their guests uncomfortable.

What a wonderful house tour -- what a special venue. Write the Mayor to make sure nearby construction does not rattle to pieces the exquisite plasterwork in this unique 192-year-old NYC landmark.

Fascinating view into the more wealthy lifestyle of families in early Manhattan. Considering the family were in this home almost 100 years and it then became a museum it is worth a visit to see a time capsule of NY life in the 1930s and earlier.

A must visit! Its authenticity as the city's oldest house is a treasure, and preserving it is vital. Don't miss this unique, historical gem."

Great place passionate workers some secret ghastly surprises. A great peek into the past with lots of valuable and informative info in the self guided tour. Takes about 1 hour. Visit soon bc they're fighting a developer and the house may no longer be viable.

This is a super interesting home to visit. It's set up in about the 1860s time period. I went for the guided tour (no extra charge) and the tour guide was extremely knowledgeable. She told us all about the area, the family history, how the house was run, the architecture, and the decor. Really enjoyed getting to see this home that was inhabited for pretty much the entire 18th century.

Absolutely beautiful, excellent and friendly staff. I highly recommend stopping in and taking a little self guided tour of the house using one of the tour binders they give you to follow along with the history so this amazing house.

As soon as you walk in you are transported back in time... A perfect relic of the past... I would get rid of the silly servant manequin... in favor of a perfectly preserved maids dress just hanging on a hanger... And the ghosts... You can just feel their presence....

I visited the Merchant House Museum on October 2nd for a noon time guided tour. My wife & I had a wonderful experience. The house is beautifully preserved and includes many furnishings owned by the Treadwell family. I was even more impressed by the wealth of knowledge our tour guide had. Not only did he share the history of the Treadwell Family and their home’s rooms & furnishings but he put it all in context of what was going on historically in NYC. Highly recommend this museum, don’t miss it!

This is an excellent museum - it's a five-story house built in 1835. The house and the furnishings are remarkably intact, and set up as they were when they were occupied by members of the Tredwell family. The furniture dates back to between 1815-1880 and the clothing, the later portion of that period. The common rooms are fascinating, and I loved the servants quarters on the top floor. As the descendent of an Irish maid, I can easily picture the lives the Irish girls lived in that house. The staff were all really knowledgeable and eager to answer questions, and there's even a back garden to sit for a bit on a nice day.

We've done a regular visit in the past and decided to return for the candle light ghost tour they have exclusively in October. We had such an amazing time and it was a completely different experience from the regular guided tour. They had paranormal recordings and tons of anecdotes about any spooky activity that occurred on the house. It was decorated as if we were attending a Victoria style funeral. It was quite a unique experience. P.S. The integrity of the house is being threatened by a construction project next door, the proceeds from ticket sales goes directly toward helping the house stay intact.

Please support this place all you can. It is a very historical and interesting building - you can find out more on their website. The volunteers here are extremely helpful & knowledgeable, you will learn a lot about this building, the family, and the era through the volunteers. Everyone who worked there was so friendly. Special shoutout and best wishes to the very nice French lady working there, Marguerite.

We had the loveliest time at the Merchants House. Completely immersed in the past, we liked how every detail has been meticulously placed to create a very realistic, cinematic and intimate atmosphere. This museum has the advantage of being affordable, and not crowded. The garden, perfectly pruned, amazed us by its poetry and its fantasy. For those who are looking for paranormal experiences, I have felt the presence of the owner while I was on the stairs, behind my back. I loved this thrilling experience, deeply authentic and historical.

A gem of a museum. The two staff members we encountered were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. The outdoor garden is a lovely spot to sit and contemplate what life was like 170 years ago in downtown Manhattan.

Guided tour was awesome, our tour guide was very knowledgeable. Thoroughly enjoyed this museum.

The garden was definitely 5 stars for sure. It was amazing, well kept and not overgrown but still feeling like it was from the 19th century. However the house itself was worse. The first floor was nice, with a kitchen and even an interactive exhibit, a coal bucket. The second/ground level floor was the same, with the old furniture in the same positions as they had once been. However the authenticity of the place that they describe is a bit misleading. Some of the fabrics and materials are not the original, and instead were replaced with newer items, only kept in the same style. The same goes for the second floor, and these 3 were great, however there are some issues, namely the fact that a lot of stuff is roped off, more like a zoo than other museums (like the tenement house) of this type. As for the top 2 floors, these shouldn’t even be charged for. The cost is 15 dollars, meaning 3 for every floor including the garden. But the 3 dollars for the third floor should be extracted. Its literally just a dress. Thats all the floor is, a single dress. As for the fourth floor, half of it is used as a storage space, although I must admit, the maids room was a nice exhibit. Overall the house was a good place to visit, however some major flaws exist, and its a bit overpriced.

Unique 19th century furnished home. Make a reservation to take the excellent tour of the house.

Second time visiting here for the haunted tour; so much fun, no place like it in the city!

Less than expected to see as most of the rooms are closed. But the garden is pleasant.

I love this museum. It is affordable to enter ($15) and has a GORGEOUS garden in the back that was very unexpected. Very cool incredibly preserved Victorian house in the heart of soho

Amazing museum and historical site Worth supporting by visit

We took the guided tour and highly recommend it. The guide with an impeccable accent was passionate. He transported us in his time machine 200 years back in time and we experienced the visit of the house with its stories, its smells and the atmosphere of the time. Incredible experience.

Unfortunately, my experience did not match previous reviewer's who I suspect were paid/incentivized to give positive reviews that clearly don't match the actual experience of this museum. The museum is EXTREMELY small. You get to see minimally interesting views of a house that was built in 1832, but there simply is not much to see of historical or aesthetic interest.

Definitely take the guided tour. The guide was passionate and informed about all details of the house and daily life of the home in the 19th century.

A must see hidden gem! Dennis's love of the home and knowledge of the Tredwell family added to the wonderful charm. Please go and visit this piece of history before it disappears

Perfectly preserved and well documented house on 4th street. It is like going back in time to the 19th century. Not only the furniture brings you back to a different world,but the very spirit of the house and its rituals. A humble must-do on the list of every visitor to the big metropolis NY became.

So beautiful, all original pieces that were left with the house when it became a historic location in the early 1930s. You have to pay but it is definitely worth it and not very expensive. Must see if you are an early NY history enthusiest!

Must see for anyone who loves NYC history. This house is beautifully intact from the mid 19th century with many pieces of the furniture being originals or originals that have been up kept. It really is a walk through time. I highly recommend the guided tour, I learned so much and the tour guide was very informative. The tour was stated to be 12-1:15 but we got done closer to 2, so give yourself a little buffer time if doing this option.

Such an amazing place. Furnished and restored to the nines, creating an astonishingly immersive mid-19th century experience. Not many visitors, which made it even more atmospheric. The onsite docent was very helpful and friendly. Plus, the provided written materials were informative and extensive. When you walk out of the home back to modern day streets, be prepared for a slight shock to the system.

I loved the experience. The house is truly preserved as it was left by its last owner in 1933, but most stuff date even earlier. I took the guided tour, which would certainly recommend. In fact, a highlight of the tour was the tour guide. Extremely knowledgeable and engaging gentleman! It was a privilege to hear him talk about not only the house, but the neighborhood, lifestyle of the period, and NYC in general.