May issue of Underground Railroad Free Press released

The Underground Railroad Free Press just released its May 2008 issue. Their email states:

Underground Railroad Free Press is distributed internationally free of charge to nearly 1,700 Underground Railroad site owners, program operators, Congressional leaders and their staff, federal and state officials, librarians, historians, experts and enthusiasts.

You can visit their site here or download the PDF here. There's nothing on Duffield Street in this issue, but the organization has been supportive of our efforts in Brooklyn in the past.

HDC Honors Duffield Defenders

The Historic Districts Council honored the Duffield Street coalition yesterday at their 2008 Grassroots Preservation Awards. The event got off to a strong start with Reverend Billy, who gave a rousing defense of the importance of free speech icons such as Union Square. Here is a video of Rev. Billy's defense of public space, or as he would say, Preservaluliah. The other awardees were Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn, DUMBO Neighborhood Association, Juniper Park Civic Association, Council Member Jessica Lappin and Brownstoner.

The advocates for 227 Duffield closed the event with several moving speeches by FUREE, Jennifer Levy, Lewis Greenstein and Joy Chatel. Many groups and individuals deserve credit for our efforts to promote Brooklyn through the celebration of the heroic defiance against slavery all along Duffield Street. HDC has long been an advocate, and we would like to thank them. There are too many people to thank, but one group that does deserve recognition is Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance.

Here is a photo essay from the awards.

Mapping the African American Past

Jacob Morris pointed out a great website hosted by Columbia called MAAP— Mapping the African American Past. Here is part of their entry for Abolitionist Place in Downtown Brooklyn:

In the 1800s the harbor nearby was one of the busiest in the world. Hundreds of ships loaded with cotton or tobacco from the South came and went. The ships also carried stowaways bent on stealing their own freedom. Other runaways were brought here by conductors of the Underground Railroad, such as the famed Harriet Tubman. They all found shelter in the neighborhood’s churches and safe houses. In addition, they were given food and clothing collected by local women’s organizations.

There are many interesting tools on the site! It is especially useful for teachers since it includes lesson plans.

The Quest for "it": The 227 Abolitionist Place Benefit

The Quest for "it" has a bold-name run-down of the Duffield St. fundraiser on Feb. 29:

The evening was attended by loyal supporters such as Brooklyn based Designer Sena, Historic reservationist Julie M. Finch, and Jumbie Records Partner Raul Rothblatt among others. Libations led by Activist and Author Nana Camille Yarbrough, and Author/Radio Personality Sister Olyade Stokes included thanks and prayer for the ability to be present, and to take part in the recognition of and preservation of African American culture. Words of wisdom were also imparted by guest speakers. Noteworthy speeches came from Activist and Author Kevin Powell (see photo far right), Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, Fort Green Councilwoman Letitia James, and of course Joy Chatel herself (see photo, center). Other highlights included a riveting film short entitled Brooklyn's First Subway: The Underground Railroad, which cataloged Ms. Chatel's process in saving the historic site as well as live performances ranging from spoken word to dance.

It's not unusual: NY screwing you

What's surprising about the governor getting caught with his pants down is that they've been down for so long. Of course, if Spitzer can spend his own family's money on prostitutes, what do you think he's been doing with yours? If he makes those sorts of deals with his personal finances and as a father, why do you think he will do any better with other people's money?

Spitzer's style of government is not new, and he's pretty much followed an important part of the governing style of the previous administration. New York has the most dysfunctional state government in the country (see the PDF of the Brennan report here). While Spitzer's personal foibles may not have cost the tax payers money, his failures as the leader of the state did cost real money- and real lives.

One thing Spitzer may have learned from our state government is to use shell companies. This is what happened in the disaster known as the World Trade Center clean-up. Our state government, in cooperation with our city government, showed fine partnership by hiring shell companies to hire mob-related companies to dismantle the Deutsche Bank building. The result was not only embarrassing delays, but a fire that cost the lives of two of New York's Bravest.

In the case of the Atlantic Yards, the state is using made-up community groups whose only function is sign on to the supposed "Community" "Benefits" "Agreement." These are shell organizations whose main purpose (this is my own opinion and does not represent the views of all who support 227 Abolitionist Place) is to take real money from the taxpayers and give it to a private developer.

In the case of the Downtown Brooklyn Environmental Impact Statement, the problem was a shell government. The city hired AKRF for its environmental review, and when their own experts concluded that there was powerful evidence of Underground Railroad activity on Duffield, the City simply ignored the experts. They decided to stay in their own fantasy land.

There is so much fantasy in all of this. Spitzer's sexual fantasies haven't cost the taxpayers too much money, but his administration's hiring of the John Galt Corporation did. You might think that our state government would think twice about hiring a company with no track record, especially since it was named after a fictional character thought up by Ayn Rand in Atlas Shrugged.

I once thought that a spectacular disaster at the World Trade Center clean up site would spur New Yorkers to look more carefully at our state government. It did not. But now that all eyes are on Albany, I hope more people realize that Spitzer represents government as usual in this state.

It is time to start demanding real action in Albany. While Spitzer was off on his dalliances, he forgot to work on real reform. I would like to see our governor (whoever that is) work on eminent domain reform. Almost every other state in this country (42 out of 50, according to the Castle Coalition) has tried to limit the state's power to take property from one individual and give it to a preferred individual.

Spitzer's rule has been a huge disappointment, to put it mildly. But at least we can thank him for his novel way of bringing attention to Albany.

NY Times: Discussing an Underground Railroad museum

The New York Times continues its coverage of the Underground Railroad home on West 29th Street in Manhattan. They published "Retracing the Elusive Footsteps of a Secretive History" on 2/24, and today they published a Letter to the Editor. Here's an excerpt:

In considering the Underground Railroad, people often look at the intake states, such as Ohio and Pennsylvania. However, New York’s role was not only vital but has been often overlooked in the city’s history.

New York was a jumping-off hub. Once escapees reached New York, they could often make a single jump to Canada, on boats going up the Hudson River, or even occasionally on trains.

A museum of abolitionism and the Underground Railroad here would be a welcome tool in teaching tolerance, and a way of illustrating that some New Yorkers reached across barriers of intolerance to help others, at great risk.

For the full letter, click here. Our previous coverage can be found here.

New Duffield Street photos

Dana L. Oliver has blogged about 227 Duffield here, and included a new slideshow with the first published photos of the Duffield fundraiser on 2/29. For more photos, click here.

Glassy new retail-condo rises on Duffield

In addition to the three hotels rising on Duffield Street between Fulton and Willoughby, other developments are shooting up. Brownstoner reports:

The plan to bring a 600,000-square-foot development to Fulton Street is apparently moving forward. In recent weeks, developer United American Land has filed air rights agreements in city records for the block bounded by Fulton, Duffield, Willoughby and Bridge streets.

As usual, most comments to the post are not worth reading, though one person makes an important observation:

What you don't see in this rendering is the huge tower that will rise on the Willoughby side of this site.

Click here to read "Glassy New Retail-Condo in the Works Downtown."

Curbed picked up on the story, and says the rendering "looks like the Apple cube."

Downtown Brooklyn Housing Sizzle Fizzling?

Curbed reports on questions regarding the Downtown Brooklyn boom:

Is the much hyped Downtown Brooklyn housing boom fizzling? The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, which is often exceptionally bullish on development in the borough reports that "construction of market-rate condominiums and below-market apartments has fallen far short of earlier predictions." The paper looked at 58 projects listed with the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership, accounting for $9.6 billion in investment. It found that of 5,285 market rate condos planned, about 1,400 have come on the market and about half of them are still listed for sale.

For the full Curbed post, click here.

To read the Eagle article, click here.

Retracing the Elusive Footsteps of a Secretive History

The NY Times published an article on the challenges of preserving homes tied to the Underground Railroad. Sound familiar? This is a story that takes place not in Brooklyn, but in Manhattan, on West 29th Street, also known as Lamartine Place.

Here is a quote from Retracing the Elusive Footsteps of a Secretive History:

Though buildings throughout the city are often thought to have been part of the escape route north, finding documents that provide proof is extremely difficult. “It’s incredibly rare that you can substantiate it,” said Andrew Berman, executive director of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. “Locations were secretive by their very nature.”

Despite the documentation Ms. Luskin collected, No. 339 could not originally be considered for designation as a landmark because a building permit had been issued for the construction project. However, construction is at a standstill; according to Kate Lindquist, a spokeswoman for the Department of Buildings, the permit for construction of the penthouse is being revoked, in part because an agency review determined that the architectural plans did not comply with building and zoning codes.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is currently evaluating No. 339 to see if it is eligible for designation as a landmark, news that will no doubt delight some local residents.

“Being one of the few African-Americans on the block, I have an emotional connection to this history,” said Curtis Jewell, a 55-year-old truck driver for the Postal Service who has lived in Ms. Luskin’s building for 10 years. “You have a lot of cultural history in New York that money seems to want to push out of the way.”

African American PlayWrights Exchange spreads the word about Duffield

The African American PlayWrights Exchange is helping to spread the word about our upcoming fundraiser:

227 Abolitionist Place
Home of Brooklyn’s Abolitionist Movement

Help support the creation of an Independent museum/cultural center for the celebration of American history and Brooklyn’s resistance to slavery
Friday, February 29th
7:00 to 10:00 PM
at
Danny Simmons'
Corridor Gallery

To visit their blog, please click here.

1010WINS revisits 227 Duffield for Black History Month

1010WINS continues its excellent coverage of 227 Duffield with their article "Black History Month: Saving History in Brooklyn":

The good news is that Joy Chatel has saved her home at 227 Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn from eminent domain.

A bricked-up tunnel in the building's basement is believed to be an escape route used in the Underground Railroad.

Chatel now hopes to turn it into a cultural center and museum. People have already showed up on her doorstep.

The text version of the article can be found here. The audio version of the story can be found here.

Lovely little movie about Duffield

Here a new short video about 227 Duffield:
http://www.mdialog.com/movies/show/6084-duffield-house

Duffield Street is the #1 story of the year

On Jan. 3, the Downtown Brooklyn Star published its countdown of the Top 10 Stories of 2007, and Duffield Street even surpassed the Atlantic Yards. They wrote:

#1: City Backs Down on Duffield Street

Who says you can't fight City Hall and win? Don't tell that to Joy Chatel, who was in danger of losing her home through eminent domain so that the city could tear it down and build a parking garage. A bad enough situation as it is, but Chatel's was no ordinary home. She, and may others, contend that the home was a stop on the Underground Railroad, run by members of the Abolitionist movement who were active in Downtown Brooklyn. Late in the year the city did an about face, claiming they no longer needed the home and Chatel saved an important piece of history.

Joy constantly repeats that this was not just her victory, but a great achievement for everyone involved, including City Hall. There are many people who helped make this happen, including a vigilant press— such as the Downtown Brooklyn Star.

HDC: Duffield is Best of 2007

"I commend the City for their flexibility. They have shown that it is possible to do development thoughtfully, in a manner that is responsive to community concerns, and with an eye to preserving our history. "
— Jennifer Levy, quoted by the Historic Districts Council

The Historic Districts Council sent out their Best of 2007, a list of notable preservation victories in New York City over the past twelve months, and Duffield Street made the list:

Historic Duffield Street Residence Spared from Eminent Domain Efforts

Sometimes you can catch lighting in a bottle. In 2004, when Joy Chatel learned that her mid-19th century rowhouse at 227 Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn was to be seized for demolition by the City as part of the Downtown Brooklyn rezoning plan, she began a tireless campaign to preserve the building against enormous odds. In addition to her personal connection to the historic building, local legend connected the house and its neighbors with the Underground Railroad and the mid-19th Century Abolitionist Movement. Thanks to Joy’s indomitable spirit and ceaseless efforts, she gathered support from a wide array of community members and organizations, as well as out-spoken champions in public official such as Council members Tony Avella, Charles Barron and Letitia James. Thanks to their support, the City sponsored a study of the properties which showed a direct link with prominent Abolitionists and recommended that further research into this important and largely-invisible social history. Finally in December 2007, after years of struggle and two different eminent domain hearings, the City reversed its decision to demolish the home for a parking lot and announced its plan to look into re-use options for the site. Jennifer Levy of South Brooklyn Legal Services, who brought the legal action against the City which resulted in this outcome, put it best when she said “I commend the City for their flexibility. They have shown that it is possible to do development thoughtfully, in a manner that is responsive to community concerns, and with an eye to preserving our history.” We applaud Joy, Jennifer and everyone else involved in the campaign to preserve these houses for their passion, dedication and fortitude, Hopefully, decision-makers will learn from this that flexibility and community concerns are pivotal in guiding appropriate development within our historic city. There are certainly enough opportunities coming up to exercise this new wisdom; from Admiral’s Row to Moynihan Station to (dare we hope?) Atlantic Yards