Talk:Merchant's House Museum

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The family

Naturally, over the course of almost a century, this home witnessed its share of happy moments - - births, weddings, christenings, celebrations of all kinds. And, also as part of the natural order of things, there was sadness - - some believe an excessive amount. Stories abound that Seabury was a stern and domineering father, ruling his family with an unyielding nature. Tales - - none of which have ever been proven - - tell of Gertrude’s forbidden love for a young Catholic medical student (the Tredwells were devout Anglicans), of secret births, of hidden passageways and tunnels running to the East River, and more of the sort of stories one often hears when dealing with old houses and eccentric occupants. What is actually known is informative enough.

The rumors you mention are unknown to me. However, there IS a hidden space. When I attended the New York School of Interior Design, we were given an assignment to design a visitor's center for the museum in the lot next door. We got the blueprints from the City and had an extensive tour of the house. Comparing the measurement of the basement (where the kitchen is located) with the blueprint, it is about 5-ish feet too small along the long front-to-back right-hand wall.

From the Tredwell's bedroom upstairs, there is a hidden access through a closet into a narrow stair that goes down to that walled-off room. There was nothing there when us students were involved with the house. Now, before you jump to the "Undergrownd Railroad" conclusion, remember that Seabury Tredwell was a merchant who may have had occasion to secret contraband goods, the prevailing theory at that time. This building, with all its original furniture, clothing, etc, is gorgeous and worth a visit.

All the best, Wordreader (talk) 03:37, 5 November 2021 (UTC)

Is it haunted?

Whether or not the Merchant’s House Museum - - the Seabury Tredwell House - - is truly haunted is subject for opinion and conjecture. It’s probably the sort of thing that can never actually be proven. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. If all the strange tales and weird happenings were suddenly explained away, the real importance of this House - - its architecture, collections, mission, and the light it sheds on a seminal period in New York City history, can never be denied or dismissed. That it survives at all amidst the tear-it-down-and-build-something-bigger ethos of “the city that’s never finished” makes it a treasure of the first magnitude - - something every one who calls themselves a New Yorker, either by birth, by address, or by inclination, can boast of as a jewel in the crown of this superb city. In producing this booklet, the Merchant’s House Museum continues its mission of informing a curious and interested public and simply adds another layer to the many that already make this one of the most beloved and fascinating “secret treasures” in the treasure trove that is New York.

Article's Tone

Judging from the style and tone of this article and especially the deleted text, the author of the article is not writing an article but a brochure. Granted its tone is currently somewhat acceptable, but I don't approve of it as it is now. And the remaining reference to it being haunted may as well also be removed as it makes no sense without the precluding explanation and is even more irrelevant as a result. It needs to be flagged in my opinion. Alan 24.184.184.177 02:37, 25 October 2007 (UTC)

External links modified (January 2018)

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Ownership?

Who currently owns the house? Is it still in the hands of family members, perhaps it was taken over by New York City, or is it an independent institution? Thank you for your time, Wordreader (talk) 03:41, 5 November 2021 (UTC)

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Lightburst talk 21:08, 28 October 2023 (UTC)

(

• Comment or view
• Article history

)

The Merchant's House Museum

• ... that the Merchant's House Museum became one of New York City's first-ever landmarks after nearly being sold due to a lack of money? Source: Fowle, Farnsworth (October 18, 1965). "First Official Landmarks of City Designated; 20 Sites Listed—Each to Get Year's Grace". The New York Times; Huxtable, Ada Louise (February 18, 1965). "1832 'Village' Landmark Faces Demolition; Past Is Mirrored by Merchant's House, Inside and Out". The New York Times.
  • ALT1: ... that the night that the Seabury Tredwell House was to be auctioned off, it was saved and turned into a museum? Source: Gale, William (December 31, 1972). "Buildings Nourish A Love Affair With the City". The New York Times.
  • ALT2: ... that the Seabury Tredwell House served as one family's residence for almost a century before becoming a museum? Source: Hamilton, Denise (November 20, 1988). "Old N.Y. Merchant's House". Los Angeles Times. p. 24. Source says the museum was the family residence for 98 years.
  • ALT3: ... that the Seabury Tredwell House, which was the Tredwell family's residence for almost a century, later exhibited their belongings? Source: Hamilton, Denise (November 20, 1988). "Old N.Y. Merchant's House". Los Angeles Times. p. 24.
  • ALT4: ... that the Seabury Tredwell House, now a museum, is Manhattan's only remaining 19th-century house with its original furnishings? Source: Vogel, Carol (March 8, 1985). "The Mansion-Museums of Old New York". The New York Times.
  • Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Hö'elün

5x expanded by Epicgenius (talk). Self-nominated at 17:36, 27 October 2023 (UTC). Post-promotion hook changes for this nom will be logged at Template talk:Did you know nominations/Merchant's House Museum; consider watching this nomination, if it is successful, until the hook appears on the Main Page.

• 5× expansion of 24 October 2023‎ version completed from 4,638 characters to 41,392 and nominated one day later. No copyvios detected (AGF books and offline refs which can't go through Dup detector). Article is well-sourced. Main hook is 131 characters long (ALT1 is 110; ALT2 is 111; ALT3 is 130; ALT4 is 126); all five are under the 200 character max. limit and are interesting. Refs 21 (verifying ALT4) and 42 (verifying ALT1) are reliable sources from the NYT (AGF all other refs which are offline or behind paywall). QPQ done. Image is free under CC BY-2.0. Looks good to go! —Bloom6132 (talk) 00:11, 28 October 2023 (UTC)

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

---

This review is transcluded from Talk:Merchant's House Museum/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: Epicgenius (talk · contribs) 13:08, 27 October 2023 (UTC)

Reviewer: V.B.Speranza (talk · contribs) 21:46, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

Checkup

I don’t seem to see any reason not to pass GA! Great job…

1. Well written?: Pass

2. Verifiable?: Pass

3. Broad in coverage?: Pass

4. Neutral point of view?: Pass

5. Stable?: Pass

6. Images?: Pass

Again, upon further verification, I see no problems with the article at all. V.B.Speranza (talk) 21:46, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

@V.B.Speranza: Thanks for the comments. While I do appreciate your taking the time to look at this article, this review seems fairly cursory. Though I would like to think highly of my own writing, I'm trying to use the GAN process to ascertain what (if anything) needs to be improved, and it is pretty unlikely that the article has no mistakes at all. Moreover, due to the shortness of this review, I am not sure whether the sources were spotchecked properly.

I hope you do not mind if I request a second opinion for this review at WT:GAN. Epicgenius (talk) 22:46, 1 April 2024 (UTC)

I'm not seeing anything really wrong with the article but I would suggest you ask for a second opinion. Last thing you wanted it to be overturned.Moxy🍁 01:19, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for weighing in. I've asked for a second opinion at WT:GAN. Epicgenius (talk) 03:26, 2 April 2024 (UTC)

Hi @Epicgenius, this article is exceptionally well-written and comprehensive, and goes considerably above and beyond the GAN criteria in my opinion. Therefore, there probably isn't need for additional feedback as part of the GAN process.

If I were to GAN review this article, I'm struggling to see anything I could fault. I gave a brief copyedit to some formatting issues with em-dashes, but I don't think this would stop it passing GAN.

I would say if you want more detailed feedback on the page, you should consider requesting a thorough peer review or just skip that step and go straight to nominating this for featured articles. This article is really pretty exceptional in the current form. David Palmer aka cloventt (talk) 00:03, 18 April 2024 (UTC)

Another opinion I think it would be useful to see evidence that some spot checks were done on sources. I agree with the reviewers above that the article's prose is up to GA standards, and I certainly can't see anything that would cause a quick fail. I'll do ten spot checks for the record, and comment on anything else I see. Regards, BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 21:20, 28 April 2024 (UTC)

• Epicgenius and V.B.Speranza; I hope this is helpful. Regards, BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 21:48, 28 April 2024 (UTC)

  @BennyOnTheLoose, thanks for the comments (I didn't get the ping). I will be able to resolve these by tomorrow. I can also send the CSM source to you off-wiki if you want. – Epicgenius (talk) 22:33, 28 April 2024 (UTC)

  @BennyOnTheLoose, I have now fixed the issues you mentioned below. – Epicgenius (talk) 14:09, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

  Thanks, @Epicgenius. @V.B.Speranza, although mine is really a third rather than second opinion, I would be satsified to see the article passed for GA following the responses to my spot checks and light-touch general review. Regards, BennyOnTheLoose (talk) 22:41, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

Spot checks

• The current museum was built as one of six identical houses on the same block - no issues.
• Although Tredwell had been a successful businessman during his career, he was not well known outside of his community - no issues. (Some of that source feels like it's from another age!)
• The only surviving sister, Gertrude, had reportedly become a recluse after her father banned her from marrying a Roman Catholic physician - part of the story is in the LPC source, I'll AGF that the rest is in Erskine.
• The ceilings of the drawing rooms, which were physically beginning to peel apart due to vibrations from traffic, were tied together with wire - no issues.
• The city was in the midst of a severe fiscal crisis, leading the Christian Science Monitor to describe the renovation as "a bright spot in these sad times for New York City" - I don't have access to this, will add another.
• Gardiner opposed the hotel's construction - no issues.
• Kalodop then sued to reverse the City Council's decision, claiming that they planned to ensure that the house would not be damaged - no issues.
• The Seabury Tredwell House is likely the only house in New York City with a fully preserved 19th-century interior - no issues.
• There is allegedly a secret passage in the wall between the two first-floor parlors, which leads up to a drawer between the second-story master bedrooms. - consistent with the LPC source, I'll AGF on CSM.
• The LPC designated the Seabury Tredwell House as one of the city's first 20 exterior landmarks in October 1965 - no issues.
• The same year, Joseph Roberto received a certificate of merit from the Municipal Art Society for his work on the house's restoration

Other

• Earwig's Copyvio detector shows a 30.1% match with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission source. However, looking at this in detail, I'm satisfied that the matches that aren't titles etc. are all appropriate per WP:LIMITED. The next two-highest matches are due to titles etc, os I have no concerns about copyvio.
• I assume that "Old Merchant's House Inc." is in bold because it should redirect here, but it didn't directly do so for me.
• "Historical view of the exterior" caption - consider adding in the year.

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.