Merchant's House Museum

28 Best Museums in New York City | Condé Nast Traveler

"Built in 1832, this intimate house museum is a time capsule of the lives of a wealthy 19th century family, complete with original furnishings, clothing, books, and artwork. Step into this five-story Greek Revival building (which happens to be the first building in Manhattan to be designated as a landmark, back in the 1960s), and you'll feel like you've snuck into a tidy, elegant home while all of its inhabitants are out to lunch. Two generations of the merchant-class Tredwell family, who lived in the home for 100 years, left behind more than 4,000 possessions, from oil lamps and fine china to unfinished needlepoint projects and prim dresses (some modeled by life-sized mannequins posed in various rooms and in the back garden)." - Andrea Whittle, Charlie Hobbs