In December, the owner of the lot next door at 27 East 4th Street submitted an application to the Landmarks Preservation Commission for a NEW commercial building. It is their third redesign and poses an even greater threat to this historic treasure.

The proposed new building is both taller and more massive. Irreparable damage is guaranteed. The fragile 1832 Merchant's House could collapse, destroying one of New York City's first landmarks, the only 19th century family home that has remained intact, inside and out.

Moreover, research has revealed that the 1832 landmark house contains a hidden passageway as part of the early Underground Railroad, a discovery of immeasurable significance.

It is critical that the Mamdani Administration step in to protect this vital and irreplaceable part of New York's history -- before it is gone forever!