"The Real Thing" — The New York Times The Merchant's House Museum is New York City's only family home preserved intact — inside and out — from the 19th century. Built in 1832 just steps from Washington Square, this elegant red-brick and white-marble row house on East Fourth Street was home to a prosperous merchant family for almost 100 years. Complete with the family's original furnishings and personal possessions, the house offers a rare and intimate glimpse of domestic life in New York City from 1835-1865.