Fraunces Tavern® Museum Celebrates Preservation Month
by Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli
In honor of Preservation Month, Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli—creator of the Museum's architecture tour and virtual lecture Preserving the Past: The Restoration of Fraunces Tavern—reflects on the historical significance of 54 Pearl Street, and how the community can work together to preserve it.
Each May during Preservation Month, we celebrate 54 Pearl Street, one of Manhattan’s oldest residents. I’ve worked at Fraunces Tavern Museum for five years, and as I enter 54 Pearl Street each day, I am reminded that the building itself is bursting with history. I am greeted by the distinct hand-made yellow bricks that adorn the side of the building, which date back to 1719.
As I walk through the museum, I am reminded that a three-hundred-year-old building absorbs a lot of history over the centuries. I can follow the path of General Washington as he entered the Long Room on December 4, 1783 and bade his officers farewell. I also trace the footsteps of famous New Yorkers, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton, diligently working in the first government offices, housed at 54 Pearl Street, in 1789. Of course, in this scenario, I trade the quill and ink for a computer and blog posts, rather than consolidating the nation’s debt or creating foreign policy.
Image by Elizabeth Williams
Following these footsteps would be impossible if it were not for one of the first and largest restoration projects in the country, undertaken in 1905 by Sons of the Revolution℠ in the State of New York, and architect William H. Mersereau. Although it has assumed various roles to serve the neighborhood over the centuries, 54 Pearl Street was restored to its Revolutionary Era glory because of its strong and rich connection to the time period.
The restoration peeled away centuries of modifications, removing two stories and revealing the original 1719 roofline. Original hand-hewn beams were discovered, held together by handwrought nails, still firmly holding the building in place.
In the Long Room, visitors gaze out the same windows revolutionaries did as they debated the merits of independence, and, perhaps most striking, is taking in the same view as General Washington, pensively gazing out into the then-harbor before mustering the strength to say goodbye to his soldiers.
In order to preserve our rich past, we must secure our future, which cannot be done without you. We are asking our members, patrons, and friends for help during these difficult times.
Please consider making a donation to Fraunces Tavern Museum. Your efforts will help us maintain one of the greatest treasures in the greatest city in the world.
I hope one day to meet you at the doors to the Museum and to walk in the historic steps of our founding fathers together. Until then, please contribute to our efforts to make a revolutionary difference.
Thank you,
Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli
