The Seabury Tredwell House

While researching my bachelor's essay on the Aiken-Rhett House I discovered the Seabury Tredwell House, or the Merchant House Museum in New York City. While there I made it my mission to see this period 1830s Greek Revival townhouse.

 

The home in its original context during the 1930s...

 

Sadly both homes on either side have been demolished leaving a vacant lot to the right and a garage building to the left...

 

The impressive door surround which was my initial reason for researching this home...

 

A near identical example at the Aiken-Rhett House which was added in the 1830s, contemporaneous with the construction of the Merchant House...

 

Original cast and wrought iron gas street lamps reminded me of similar examples in Charleston as well...

 

A similar street lamp at the Primrose House, 332 East Bay Street, Charleston, South Carolina...

 

The ceiling of the entrance vestibule... love the marbleized wall finish

While I was there the staircase was covered for renovations, but after the docent described the newel post it reminded me of something...

 

The staircase from The Heiress, 1949, starring Olivia de Havilland... a must see film that documents 1830s New York society... there's no way the set for her home was not based on this building

 

An original gasolier, curtain rods, and furnishings occupy the dining room and parlor...

The parlor of the Seabury Tredwell House in the 1930s...

... and Olivia de Havilland in the parlor of the set of The Heiress... note the similar columns (pilasters were common features around pocket doors, but full dis-engaged columns were rare) and the similarly paneled pocket doors.

This house is a fascinating glimpse into 1830s New York... a must see while you're there; there's nothing else like it in the city.

Sir John Soane's Museum

A few months ago while I was in London I visited Sir John Soane's Museum and found a new belief in reincarnation. There is no way I was not Sir John Soane in a previous existence. 

 

The exterior of the home reads more Art Deco than Georgian and doesn't quite prepare the visitor for the fantasy world that exists inside.

 

A period cross section of the rear of the home.

 

The front parlor... I love the Pompeian red walls and black accents along with the multitude of small chandeliers.

 

One of my favorite features was this wall in the dining room that was mirrored around the portrait... it feels so contemporary. 

 

The breakfast room's ceiling is amazing... I love the inset convex mirrors. In addition to this skylight, there are probably ten others in the house. The greatest view is from the second floor that looks out over these rooms and the ten to fifteen different skylights

 

These back rooms are the most amazing. They are literally covered in architectural fragments ranging from Roman urns, to Grecian statuary, to Gothic finials, to an Egyptian sarcophagus, and a tomb for Soane's dog Fanny.

This is one of the most unbelievable places I have ever been... I couldn't get enough of it and went back again the next day. There are no tour guides forcing you from one room to the next and there are no ropes preventing you from walking completely around the rooms. This will definitely be a place I will visit each time I'm in London.