Families United for Racial and Economic Equility (FUREE) held a rally last Saturday to raise awareness about the what’s at stake on Duffield Street. As we’ve discussed before, the city wants to turn the site of the 19th century homes into a parking lot for a proposed condo and hotel project nearby; residents, who believe several of the homes were used as stops on the Underground Railroad, are fighting for preservation. Charles Barron, Letitia James, Tony Avella and David Yassky (pictured) were all on hand to show their support of the preservationists. The Downtown Star article has some good color on the discovery of the Underground Railroad link:

The entire saga surrounding Duffield Street began over two decades ago, when a jeweler on Greenstein’s block told him that his home had once been used as a safehouse for escaped slaves. Greenstein never thought much about the jeweler’s claim until he was trying to stop a persistent leak in his basement. He tapped on the fieldstone wall and it gave way, revealing a three-foot square shaft that led up towards the ceiling to the ground. Under the debris there appeared to be the remnants of an old ladder…

…Greenstein’s house isn’t the only one with attributes that would suggest Duffield Street was a major thoroughfare in the Underground Railroad. [Joy] Chatel’s house has a similar shaft in the original fieldstone work, and many of the homes on Duffield Street have a trap door in the front, which leads to a void underneath the sidewalk. Greenstein and Chatel believe this was so all of the houses would be interconnected, and escaped slaves could travel from cellar to cellar without appearing at street level.

Next up: The EDC’s report followed by a final vote by the City Council.
Underground Railroad or Parking Lot? [Downtown Star]