History:

Founded by the celebrated New Brighton industrialist, Edward Dempster Merrick (1832 - 1911), The Merrick is home to a stunning collection of French, German, English, and American paintings from the 18th and 19th Century. The collection features examples of romantic, realistic, and impressionistic art by prominent American and European artists, including Prud'hon, Courbet, Winterhalter, Sully, and Curran. Most prominent is a collection of Hudson River School paintings featuring the works of Durand, Moran, Kensett, Casilear, and Trost Richards.

The Merrick also boasts a piano once played by legendary composer Stephen Foster - located in the Eva Mae Merrick Music Room. Other collections include a complement of Contemporary art; a 19th century library; a rock and mineral collection; and a zoological collection.