The Laurent Townhouse on Mercer Square
The Laurent family established their townhouse on Mercer Square in 1907 after Henri Laurent purchased and renovated the Federal-style residence during his career as a financial attorney. Three generations lived there, including Henri, his wife Elise, their children, and later grandchildren who shared the narrow city mansion. The family income came from legal services, commercial investments, and property management throughout the city.
Municipal records describe the townhouse as a respected residential property with active use of the library, dining rooms, and upper floors before economic changes affected the family’s financial stability.
The first warning sign appeared in 1928 when Laurent Legal Offices recorded unpaid client accounts and reduced commercial work. After the financial crisis of the early 1930s, Henri dismissed household staff and closed several unused bedrooms to reduce expenses. Repairs to the marble entrance, bronze roofing details, and curved stone façade were postponed as debts accumulated. After Henri’s death in 1933, disagreements among heirs delayed decisions about the townhouse. By 1935, unpaid mortgages, legal costs, and unresolved inheritance matters forced the remaining Laurent family members to leave Mercer Square while creditors reviewed the estate.
The Laurent Townhouse was abandoned in 1936 after foreclosure followed years of financial decline, unpaid mortgages, and unresolved inheritance disputes. No restoration occurred, and no Laurent descendants returned after leaving Mercer Square. Municipal records noted complicated ownership transfers and continued deterioration of the vacant property. The interior rooms remained closed, preserving legal papers and household furnishings left behind. Over the decades, moisture, structural settling, and neglect affected the limestone walls and decorative features. The Federal and Beaux-Arts townhouse remains empty on the old residential block, slowly deteriorating without restoration or confirmed future use.