BREAKING: Underground Railroad House Spared

The Underground Railroad House at 227 Duffield Street will be spared from eminent domain and the wrecking ball. A press release has gone out from the owner and several groups working to save the building that the city "has pledged that it will not use eminent domain to condemn" the building and that it "has agreed to re-draw its plans for Downtown Brooklyn so that the condemnation of 227 Duffield Street will not be necessary." The building is on the site of the proposed Willoughby Square Park atop a big underground garage that will serve some of the massive developments planned downtown. The city was planning a commemorative of the Underground Railroad. Could the shift indicate that after enduring bad publicity in what became a national story, the city might be planning a museum that would include an actual Underground Railroad structure? (The other buildings on Duffield aren't involved in the agreement.) There will be a press conference on Monday. Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn has posted the press release.

City Wants "Brooklyn Abolitionism Commemoration" Proposals

The Underground Railroad Houses on Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn may eventually fall to bulldozers, but it's looking more and more likely that the city is putting up some sort of museum or other commemoration at the site or in another location. The New York City Economic Development Corp., which is in charge of the project at Willoughby Square, has issued an RFP,with responses due on February 1. The EDC's website says it will:

select an existing New York City-based Section 501(c)(3) arts, cultural, educational, or historical organization to develop and manage a commemoration program dedicated to the ‘historical friendships’ among people of different backgrounds created during the 19th century Abolitionist Movement, with particular attention paid to the Underground Railroad and its ties to the Borough of Brooklyn.

Duffield Street Underground, which covers all things related to the Duffield Street project writes:

It's unclear what all this means so soon after the RFP was released. On the one hand it's a great victory that the EDC will allow for a museum on the site of their planned parking lot that until this week would have destroyed the Duffield Abolitionist homes. On the other hand, the RFP does not appear to require a museum, so 227 Duffield is not yet safe.

The RFP itself says a proposal has to:

Provide an interactive, public gathering venue where individuals and groups of all ages can learn about the Abolitionist Movement and the Underground Railroad in
Brooklyn.

The Duffield Street buildings are on land that would be part of a 1.25 acre park which would sit atop a 700-car parking garage.

Public Comments About Underground Railroad Houses

Yesterday was the last day for public comment in the (redone) eminent domain proceedings for a variety of properties in downtown Brooklyn. We got a copy of the comment submitted by Phil De Paolo of the New York Commmunity Council and thought we'd share a couple of short excerpts:

We see a gross injustice taking place on Duffield St...There is a long oral tradition of the buildings on Duffield St being part of the Underground Railroad, and while it is certain that a family of abolitionists, the Truesdells, lived at 227 Duffield Street, that venerable building is scheduled to go under the wrecking ball, along with 231 and 233 Duffield Street, to make way for a parking lot that would serve a hotel now under construction nearby...A city funded report that denies any Underground Railroad activity along Duffield Street isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. The report, issued in April by AKRF, said that 227 Duffield St., as well as neighboring buildings, was not used to spirit 19th-century slaves to freedom. The city and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership are simply trying to hide the inconvenient truth of Duffield Street’s Abolitionist history. It would be a terrible shame to tear these buildings down, there needs to be more research, an archaeological study.

The city’s conclusion that there’s no evidence of Underground Railroad history is fundamentally flawed and, therefore, cannot form the basis for the destruction of what many believe to be an Underground Railroad station where abolitionists helped runaway slaves hide and escape to freedom...our environmental review process is being corrupted by biased and incompetent consultants who prepare environmental impact statements that are framed in a way that take us away from reality.

(All of the comments submitted were directed to a gentleman named Jack Hammer, which is utterly fascinating in the case of controversial potential demolitions.) The city was moving ahead with the eminent domain process before it was forced to stop and go through the hearing and public comment process again.

Eminent Domain Redux: Downtown Hearings Held (Again)

The city held another hearing yesterday on its plans to seize property for development--including the Underground Railroad homes on Duffield Street--via eminent domain. The repeat hearing was held because the city had to withdraw its original findings because it "mistakenly" failed to enter a blight study into the public record during original an original hearing held in May. In addition to the controversial seizure and planned demolition of homes believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad, the city would also evict 40 families living in rent-stabilized apartments, business with 100 employees, an arts venue and a parking lot. In all, 21 properties are involved on three different blocks.

The epicenter of the controversy is the block on Duffield Street where the Underground Railroad homes would be leveled for an underground garage for 700 cars and a street-level park and plaza known as Willoughby Square. Several major hotels are planned for the block including a 500-room Aloft Hotel and Sheraton and a 22-story hotel called the Indigo. The massive Albee Square development with at least 900 units of housing would also be nearby.

Of the hearing, Sarah Ryley wrote in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle that:

City Councilwoman Letitia James said after the hearing, which she called “just procedural in nature,” that she suspected the blight study was created recently as the result of a legal challenge to first ruling in favor of eminent domain. “I did not see a blighted study in 2003,” she said, referring to when City Council was given the opportunity to consider the Downtown Brooklyn plan, including the use of eminent domain to realize that vision.

The new public comment period on the use of eminent domain runs through November 5.

Links:
Brooklyn redevelopment faces Underground Railroad conflict [amNY]
City Gives Downtown Brooklyn Eminent Domain Hearing Another Try [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]

New Downtown Brooklyn Eminent Domain Hearing on Monday

There's another hearing today on the use of eminent domain in Downtown Brooklyn, including the taking of the Underground Railroad House on Duffield Street that advocates believe should be preserved. The hearings were announced very quietly, in a small ad in the New York Post on October 17, and Duffield Street Underground blog says that owners of the buildings on Duffield Street weren't even notified. The hearing is taking place because the Department of Housing Preservation and Development withdrew its original eminent domain findings earlier this month. Opponents of the seizure of the Duffield Street buildings and of their demolition are taking the opportunity to hold a press conference at 9:30 AM, before the 10:00 AM hearing at City Tech Auditorium, which is located at Jay Street and Tillary in Downtown Brooklyn. The press event will include Congresswoman Yvette Clark, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery, City Council Members Charles Barron and Letitia James as well as "over 50 community members, preservationists and Black historians." Here's a bit from the press release we got in on our email:

As a result of legal challenges by Downtown Brooklyn advocates, the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development withdrew its eminent domain findings for Downtown Brooklyn earlier this month. The City’s withdrawal was an acknowledgment that it had no basis in the record for its use of eminent domain. This abuse of the powers of eminent domain would have proceeded if the City hadn’t been sued...HPD announced the new hearing in a small ad in the NY Post on October 17, 2007, yet they scheduled this new hearing without notifying the owners of the condemned properties.

The full press release is available at Duffield Street Underground and at No Land Grab.

New Eminent Domain Hearing on Duffield Street Buildings

Looks like the Underground Railroad Houses on Duffield Street Abolitionist Place in Downtown Brooklyn are going to get another hearing. Duffield Street Underground reports that:

In response to the Eminent Domain Procedure Law Petition filed by advocates for the residents and businesses of Downtown Brooklyn, the City is withdrawing its eminent domain findings and holding a new hearing. This does not mean the City is starting over on the issue of historic preservation, but it gives Duffield advocates a chance to use political pressure to change the footprint of properties threatened with governmental confiscation. This might be an important victory to those challenging the Downtown Brooklyn rezoning.

More to come.

Duffield Street to be Named Abolitionist Place Today

Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn, which is the site of the Underground Railroad Houses that the city is planning to demolish for an underground parking lot topped by a park is being "co-named" Abolitionist Place this afternoon. We've guessed all along that if the buildings are demolished, the park will end up with some sort of monument or memorial commemorating abolitionist activity in Brooklyn.

Will Duffield Street Houses "Be Railroaded"?

Last week we noted that the city is moving toward seizing the buildings on Duffield Street that supporters say were part of the Underground Railroad in Brooklyn. The land would be used to build an underground parking garage and street level open space. Before moving ahead, the Bloomberg Administration set aside $2 million for some type of project that would "commemorate" abolitionist activity in Brooklyn in the 1800s and created a panel to look into how to do that. (Our top bet is an abolitionist memorial in the new park that somehow also duly notes the role the Duffield Street houses demolished by the city played. Just a guess.) In any case, today's amNY includes a look at the controversy. Here's an excerpt:

The Duffield Houses are targeted for demolition as part of $9 billion worth of development that promises to include new public spaces akin to Bryant Park, mixed use residential/commercial high rises like the Time Warner Center and an expansion of local colleges.

The city's report states that although "Downtown Brooklyn played a vital role in the abolitionist and Underground Railroad," the research could not "conclusively document" that 233 Duffield and six other nearby houses were stops on the way to freedom.

Although some peer reviewers disputed the findings of the report, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development this month recommended that the city exercise the power of eminent domain to take the Duffield Street houses and proceed with plans to demolish them.

The land they occupy would become part of the new Willoughby Square Park, a 1.15-acre green space that would be placed atop a new underground parking lot with space for 700 cars.

The demolition crews won't be coming any time soon, though. One lawsuit is already pending in state court and a suit challenging the use of eminent domain is also expected to be filed. You can check out the Duffield Street Underground blog's take on the article by clicking here.

Seizures Coming for Underground Railroad Buildings

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development has formally approved the seizure via eminent domain of a number of buildings in Downtown Brooklyn, including the Underground Railroad Buildings on Duffield Street. The formal HPD action was reported by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. A total of 21 properties were actually approved for seizure on different blocks, including one in the BAM Cultural District on a property for which there are no current development plans. The city wants the the Duffield Street buildings in order to building an underground parking garage. Last week, the Bloomberg Administration announced $2 million for a project to commemorate abolitionist activity in Brooklyn, which supporters of saving the Duffield Street buildings suggested was a way to sugarcoat the impending seizures and demolitions. In the meantime, Duffield Street Underground reports that one of the city's seizure letters, for 227 Duffield Street, went to a dead property owner.

Busy Day for Brooklyn's Underground Railroad History

Yesterday was a busy day for Brooklyn's Underground Railroad history. Mayor Bloomberg announced via press release that he is committing $2 million for capital and construction of “a project to commemorate abolitionist activity that occurred in Brooklyn in the 1800s.” As you may recall, rowhouses on Duffield Street that the city intends to demolish to make way for underground parking are at the heart of a controversy (and were the subject of an expensive and controversial consultant's study). Advocates say the homes were part of the Underground Railroad. The consultant says there is no hard evidence. Some have suggested memorializing the anti-slavery struggle in Brooklyn in some way.

Duffield Street Underground, a blog set up to oppose the demolition of the buildings writes:

The announcement is certainly a victory for those who want to promote the development of Downtown Brooklyn through the commemoration of the Abolitionist history at 227 Duffield Street and other nearby historic properties. It is a clear recognition by the Mayor that these buildings can provide an important cultural resource to the area.

It remains to be seen whether today's press release is just an excuse to tear down these properties and to build a memorial at some other location. The EDC made this suggestion at the May 1st 2007 public hearing on the historical claims surrounding the Duffield Street homes threatened with destruction by their Downtown Brooklyn plans.

Here are some links to coverage of yesterday's announcement:

• Mayor Appeases Underground Railroad Rancor [The Real Estate]
• Honoring Brooklyn's Role in Ending Slavery [City Room]
• A Victory or New Justification to Demolish Abolitionist Homes? [Duffield St. Underground]
• Honoring Brooklyn's Role in Ending Slavery [Duffield St. Underground]
• Underground Movement [NYP]
  

Duffield St. Blog Gets Active, Asks if Abolitionist Museum Beats a Parking Lot

Advocates fighting to save the Underground Railroad Houses on Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn from seizure by the city and the wrecking ball are now using a blog to push their cause. One of the new items suggests that an abolitionist museum in the buildings would be a better use of the space than 700 parking space in an underground garage and a plaque commemorating the site. Referring to a 2003 City Planning Department press release, Duffield Street Underground argues:

The press release mentions the word "cultural" eight times, and "parking" twice. The plan would call for the creation of 2,000 new parking spaces, and 694 of those were envisioned for the properties currently home to the Chatel and other families.

The promotion of an Abolitionist museum on Duffield Street is much more consistent with the stated goals of the Department of Planning press release. The future of Brooklyn is not colliding with its past. We need to fully research the historical these properties before destroying them. Otherwise, it might be the parking lot that will "block a key component of the area's rebirth."

Last week, an Associated Press story about the buildings and the efforts to save them was picked up around the country.

Another Effort to Save Duffield St. Underground Railroad Houses

There are more developments to report in the ongoing saga of the very threatened Underground Railroad buildings on Duffield Street. As reported on Brownstoner and in amNY yesterday, a lawsuit has been against Mayor Bloomberg and the city--which want to take the buidings via eminent domain in order to building an underground parking garage--alleging they failed to fully examine the history of the site. Today, City Council Member John Liu (who represents Flushing among other Queens neighborhoods) is holding a press conference at 1PM. The release says "Experts to Dispute City Report Denying Existence of Underground Railroad Site." It reads in part:

On Juneteenth – a national celebration that commemorates the end of slavery – elected officials, historic preservationists, and local residents will rally at Duffield Houses to challenge the conclusions of the City's Economic Development Corporation report, which denies the existence of a historic Underground Railroad site at this location. Many of the nationally-renown expert witnesses who worked on this report will directly repudiate the City's conclusions – which will now allow a private developer to demolish the Duffield Houses and build a parking lot at the site.

On January 7, 2004, Duffield Street residents found notices taped to front doors informing them that their historic houses would be taken by eminent domain and demolished to make way for a new parking lot. A growing number of historians, archaeologist, and Underground Railroad experts are outraged at the concocted conclusion of the City's report by a consultant firm unqualified to make such an analysis. Many consider this Underground Railroad site to be hallowed ground and a
vital cultural treasure that should be preserved. The Underground Railroad was the network of people and places in which fugitive slaves sought refuge when escaping from the plantation system in the South.

The event takes place from 1PM-1:30PM at 227 227 Duffield Street (between Fulton & Willoughby).

Related Post:
State Historic Preservation Office Never Contacted About Underground Railroad Houses

Landmarks Preservation Commission Rebuffs Underground Railroad Houses

The Landmarks Preservation Commission has declined to get involved in the issue of the buildings on Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn that many historians believe were sites on the Underground Railroad, but which the city wants to demolish in order to build underground parking. A consulting firm hired by the Economic Development Corporation and paid $500,000 to conduct a study said it found no conclusive evidence the buildings were part of the Underground Railroad. Supporters of the houses say the consultants overlooked evidence.

In any case, an email sent out last week to the President of the New York Landmarks Conservancy included the letter reproduced above from LPC Chair Robert Tierney that says, in effect, that the site should be commemorated by a plaque after the houses are torn down. The email said in part:

Today, we suffered a major setback in our advocacy. Peg received an unusually prompt and decisive reply from LPC Chair Tierney. In the attached letter, he declines to have his agency become involved.

It is important to note that LPC could take other steps than landmark designation to foster preservation. It could require comprehensive archaeological research. It could ensure that the buildings and site are fully documented, in photos and measured drawings. Or it could ask that the houses be spared and moved to another site. It could even espouse an alternative design that would spare the houses.

But instead, the plans for an underground garage, 1.5 acre open space, and "program of memorialization" will go forward, unconstrained by LPC. This is very discouraging.

The city intends to take the properties via eminent domain.

Related Posts:
State Historic Preservation Office Never Contacted About Underground Railroad Homes
Consultant Paid $500K to Write Report

Things Get Curiouser: Underground Railroad House Up for Sale?

The tale of the houses on Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn said to have been part of the Underground Railroad, has taken another very, very curious turn. One of the homes--the one in which Joy Chatel, one of the leaders of the fight to stop the seizure of the buildings via eminent domain and to prevent their demolition, resides--is apparently on the market for $4.5 million.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle's Sarah Ryley reports on the listing:

The “Downtown Brooklyn Prime Location” — an eight-bedroom, four-bathroom, semi-detached home with a store and the right to build up to 20 stories high — has been listed with RE/MAX for three weeks, and was updated this week with a photograph. But nobody seems to agree on who put the property up for sale.

The home’s occupant, Joy Chatel, has spent the last three years of her life trying to prove that the residence was once a stop along the Underground Railroad in the hopes of saving it from the wrecking ball, and dozens of activists and elected officials have joined in.

Chatel says she wants to turn her home into a museum, but the city’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has plans to put an entryway for a parking garage in its place. The city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development held a hearing Tuesday on the property and 20 others on three blocks in Downtown Brooklyn.

Chatel doesn’t own the home she’s been living in for over a decade, which would make it difficult for her to fight an eminent domain ruling. She signed the deed over to her mother in 2004, and her mother, Arnelda Monroe, gave outside investor Errol Bartholomew 50 percent ownership of the property the following year to stave off foreclosure proceedings...Chatel said last week that her attorney, Angelyn Johnson, listed the property without asking, and suggested that Bartholomew was involved...

Johnson, who maintains a law practice on Court Street, was charged in February by the Queens District Attorney’s Office as part of a six-person deed fraud ring, and is still under investigation for other frauds she may have committed, according to the office.

We'd say that the story couldn't possibly get any more bizarre, but something tells us that it will.

State Historic Preservation Office Never Contacted About Underground Railroad Houses

There's an interesting development in the case of the buildings on Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn that historic preservationists believe were part of the Underground Railroad network in Brooklyn. As it turns out, the New York State Historic Preservation Office was never contacted to determine whether the buildings are eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. You might recall that the city hired a consulting firm, AKRF, which conducted a $500,000 study that determined it could find no evidence of the historic significance of the house, a conclusion with which preservationists strongly disagree. The city wants to seize the property via eminent domain in order to demolish the buildings and construct an underground parking lot. Council Member Letitia James issued a statement calling for a halt to any seizure of property because of what some are calling "a major omission" and "negligent at best."

The Historic Districts Council blog and Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn have put up post about the latest development. Here are a few excerpts of Ms. James' release:

The New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) had never made a determination on the eligibility of the Duffield Street Houses to the National Register of Historic Places, the country's official list of historic properties. Not only has the agency not issued an official determination (according to their records), but agency staff was never consulted about the possibility of the buildings being eligible nor did it seem that the agency was ever consulted about the larger Downtown Brooklyn Plan...

"This is a major omission on the part of the City and their consultants. The basis of the Research Report is that these buildings should not be protected because they are not eligible for any kind of historic recognition - a point that the majority of the peer reviewers disputed. That the government agency who is tasked to make this exact determination was not even consulted seems negligent at best," said Simeon Bankoff, Executive Director of the Historic Districts Council.

"This process, as it has been followed by the Administration and its paid consultants, essentially seeks to undermine federal environmental protection laws, such as the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Transportation Act of 1966 and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; all of which mandate that consideration of the effect of government actions on historic resources. All proceedings should be halted immediately in light of this disturbing revelation," said Council Member Letitia James.

More developments to follow in this continuing preservation fight.

Related Post:
Duffield St. Underground Railroad Houses Have Hearing

Eminent Domain Hearing on Duffield Street Underground Railroad Houses Today

Yesterday, we noted a protest and public hearing about the Underground Railroad Houses on Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Well, the Eminent Domain hearing is today. (The city wants to take the property via eminent domain so it can build underground parking). The hearing takes place today (5/22) at 10AM at New York City College of Technology in the Klitgord Center Auditorium & Gymnasium, which is located at 285 Jay Street (at Tillary Street) in Brooklyn. There are full details about the hearing at the Historic Districts Council Blog.

Related Post:
Consultants Paid $500K to Write Report

Duffield Street Underground Railroad Houses Rally & Hearing

More action on the Duffield Street Underground Railroad Houses front. Those are the historic homes in Downtown Brooklyn that the city wants to demolish to make way for underground parking for hotels across the street and other nearby developments. Many historians believe the buildings were safehouses for the Underground Railroad. There is a rally today (5/21) at City Hall at Noon and a Public Hearing tomorrow (5/22) at 10AM at City Tech Auditorium, which is at 300 Jay Street. A very expensive report by paid city consultants did not find evidence the buildings were safehouses, but advocates for the houses strongly disagree and say the consultants skewed their findings. You can see more about the rally and hearing at No Land Grab and at Brit in Brooklyn.

Related Post:
Consultants Paid $500K to Write Report

Duffield St. Underground Railroad Houses Have Hearing; Consultants Paid $500K to Write Report

The buildings believed to be Underground Railroad sites on Duffield Street in downtown Brooklyn had their day before the City Council on Tuesday in what turned out to be a marathon hearing that ran from 11AM-3PM. At issue is whether the city will demolish them in order to build an underground parking garage that will serve several developments, including hotels that are rising across the street. A $500,000 consultant's study that weighs in at 700 pages that was commissioned by the city says there is no hard evidence that the buildings were part of the Underground Railroad. (Someone from the AKRF firm that did the study said the firm devoted 3,000 person hours to the report, which works out to $166.67 an hour.)

We couldn't attend, but there are at least two reports that convey the substance of the meeting, which included a lot of serious questions from council members, most notably Letitia James. The Historic Districts Council Blog offers this description:

CM Letitia James was methodically going over all her issues with the 700-page report, item by item. To call this unusual would be an understatement. It was great - she questioned specific issues and concerns that had been brought up with alacrity. Even more surprising was that Council members Liu and Yassky also took their turn at bat. CM Liu hounded the reps from EDC on whether or not the Downtown Brooklyn Plan could go forward without this piece (the answer, finally, was "yes" but this part of the Downtown Brooklyn Plan - the parking lot and the "open space" for commercial tenants couldn't) and CM Yassky was strong on taking a hard look at these historic structures.

In addition, the Underground Railroad Safehouses site offers a very detailed look at the hearing and at the consultant's report that is now at the heart of the controversy. Even the consultant's report, which argues for demolition--which is what the Economic Development Corp. which paid the firm the $166 an hour--admits that "more information could be unearthed in the future" showing a definitive link between the Underground Railroad and the Duffield Street houses.

The impact of the City Council is uncertain.

Related Post:
Is City Consultant Deliberately Ignoring Underground Railroad Records?

Duffield Street Underground Railroad Houses Get Hearing

A much rescheduled City Council hearing on the Underground Railroad Houses on Duffield Street takes place today at 11AM. It will be preceded by a 10AM press conference that will include Charles Barron and David Yassky. The city wants to tear down because they're on the site of a proposed parking garage. A controversial consultant's study downplayed the historic significance of the houses. You can watch the YouTube vid by clicking here if there is a problem with the embed. The vid details the issue and the consultant's handling of the study. The creators of the video sent an email press release saying:

The story rightfully should anger you, because this report distorts history. The Duffield St. residents and friends of Brooklyn history are taking their case to the people via you tube. This short film is being submitted as testimony at the May 1st hearing as well.

Expect some pointed remarks at both the press conference and the hearing.

Related Posts:
Duffield Street Underground Railroad Houses Redux
Is City Consultant Deliberately Ignoring Underground Railroad Records?