Saving Merchant’s House Museum

Historic Preservation
April 11, 2014

MHM Hello! Sorry I have been out of commission this week, I was literally out of commission, with the stomach flu. Ugh. Thankfully, I’m feeling better just in time for the weekend! So if you ever venture over to the My Stuff section of Lacquered Life, you will find that I mention a favorite historic house museum, Merchant’s House Museum. Located on East Fourth Street between Bowery and Lafayette in New York, the Merchant’s House is the only fully preserved 19th century home in New York. Stepping inside the beautiful Greek Revival Merchant’s House is like stepping back in time, or straight into a Henry James or Edith Wharton novel – a dream.
MHM 1 MHM 2 Many of the architectural details of the Merchant’s House Museum are unparalleled, and it is said that the decorative plasterwork in the double parlors, seen above, is some of the most valuable intact ornamental plaster from the period and surpasses even that of the White House. Oh, and did I mention the walled garden behind the house? It is like walking into the secret garden, on East Fourth Street! This post has a motivation. The Merchant’s House Museum is in grave danger as a developer threatens to build a nine story hotel adjacent to the building. The demolition of the existing structure next door and the construction of a nine story building will be catastrophic to many of the architectural details of the Merchant’s House. It is so important that we support the Merchant’s House Museum and protect these unique and irreplaceable parts of our cities and towns. So if you live in NYC or are in town, go visit MHM. Take a tour, perhaps participate in one of their 19th century walking tours of the neighborhood, or learn about the irish immigrant experience in NYC. Maybe even make a donation or purchase a membership. Because every dollar, and every minute we appreciate places like this, and strive to protect them, makes a difference. Visit www.merchantshouse.org for more information.

Axel’s Kastel

Architecture
April 7, 2014

I have always been a great admirer of Axel Vervoordt – designer, antiques dealer, and aesthetician extraordinaire. While our tastes don’t always line up exactly, I appreciate his understanding of space, and the way that he often lets the architecture of a space speak for itself. It seems when looking through work he has done, he always has the opportunity to decorate extraordinary spaces, and his spartan sense of style lends itself to that. This is Kastel de ‘s-Gravenwezel, a Belgian chateau dating to the 13th century, which is owned by the designer. Clearly Vervoordt and I are on the same page when it comes to historic preservation. I am especially drawn to the Orangerie, and to the bathtub that is tucked away behind some beautifully detailed paneling. Luckily for us, if in fact you want to visit the Kastel, the Vervoordt family opens it up to the public for tours three weekends a month for the bargain price of 10 euro.

Images via Marie Claire Maison

Louisville, No Longer a Mystery

Architecture
April 2, 2014

I recently found out that one of my dearest friends here in Charleston is leaving the Holy City and headed to Louisville, Kentucky for her husband’s medical residency. So I did what any northern girl who lives in the South would do, I went to the Garden & Gun website and searched Louisville. What came up was Lincliff. Built in 1912, this Georgian Revival mansion on the banks of the Ohio River is home to famed mystery novelist Sue Grafton and her husband Steve Humphrey. The couple bought the abandoned and dilapidated house in 2000, and Humphrey, a newly enthusiastic gardener, spent the first five years of ownership clearing, fixing, and researching the beautiful gardens surrounding the house. During their research, Grafton and Humphrey discovered that the hilltop site plan had been designed by John Olmsted, nephew of famed Central Park landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Since then, Grafton and Humphrey have been restoring the gardens and even adding touches of their own inspired by their travels in Europe. I think I have mentioned that W is the gardener in our marriage, so maybe one day we could take on a project like this. Whaddya say Mr. B? In the meantime, knowing that there are places and people like this living in and around Louisville, my friend is going to be just fine … and I have now found an excuse to go visit.

Photos via Garden & Gun