LPC Turns Its Back on Underground Railroad Houses
In one of the bigger disses we’ve seen recently, Landmarks Preservation Commission head Robert Tierney sent an “unusually prompt and decisive” letter (reproduced on the jump) to the president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy indicating that LPC would not support the preservation of 227, 231 and 233 Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The buildings…
In one of the bigger disses we’ve seen recently, Landmarks Preservation Commission head Robert Tierney sent an “unusually prompt and decisive” letter (reproduced on the jump) to the president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy indicating that LPC would not support the preservation of 227, 231 and 233 Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn. The buildings have been the subject of an ongoing struggle between preservationists who argue that they should be saved because of their role Brooklyn’s Underground Railroad and the city which wants to seize them via eminent domain to tear them down to make way for a hotel parking lot. Tierney doesn’t even suggest any intermediate steps like pushing for more research or documentation or suggesting the houses be moved to an alternate site. What’s his solution? A plaque. “I believe the commemoration of the important role Brooklyn has played in the history of abolitionism will be better served by the program of memorialization referenced by EDC and the City Council than by preserving the three buildings,” he wrote. Isn’t LPC supposed to be a non-political group? Sounds to us like Bloomberg’s got Tierney by the balls on this one.
LPC Rebuffs Underground Railroad Houses [Gowanus Lounge]
Undergound RR: Consultants Caught In Another Lie [Brownstoner]
LPC Head Tries To Save Underground RR Site [Brownstoner]
The bottom line is that there’s no need for parking garages in Downtown Brooklyn, and thus no need to demolish the buildings, and certainly no need to use eminent domain. This project stinks to high heaven.
Look,
This place has no value. I mean, it’s not like it was a sugar factory or anything like that.
Black New Yorkers are an utterly powerless bunch. & that simple fact explains this decision.
Interesting point, 3:58 – why wasn’t anyone seeking to make use of these properties as a museum or something like that for all these years?
Closer to 150 years than over 200. But who is counting?
And many of us do care about our history which includes slavery and ‘end of slavery’.
And would be great to have more local spots or museums for youth and newcomers and american adults to learn about this part of our history.
But not convinced at all about viablilty or value of this location for that purpose. And until threat of eminent domain their was no talk of it either but those rallying to save the building.
Let it be an objective to find place well-suited and with more verifiable connection to slavery here in NYC. Let these anti-demolition leaders help in planning. Get Brooklyn Historical involved in appropriate location and display.
I do not think there is real connection to this specific spot and seems too little too late. Often seems little interest in many properties until a wrecking ball shows up.
that last comment was uncalled for, however, i do believe that LPC doesn’t care about the houses because who cares about slavery? it happened over 200 hundred years ago and all of the slaves were of african descent. not much has changed in 200 years huh?
but is it good for the jews??
too bad these houses didn’t do double duty by helping people escape the nazis
9:53, structures do get landmarked for their historical associations, not just architectural merit. However, in this case, the only proven association is to the Trusdales, one-time owners and known abolitionists. Even if people are satisfied that it is “likely” that the properties were part of the Underground Railroad, the physical evidence of that has been altered significantly.
If a visitor cannot go in the sub-basement and get some sense of the experience of an escaped slave, what is the purpose of preserving the building? It seems to me that, in this case, the building serves as nothing more than a memorial. It’s just a plaque writ large, in three dimensions.
Please let Charles Barron stay home.
In regards to 9:53’s question – that is a good point. At what point does the LPC mandate end? Is the architectural merit all that counts? When the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem was designated, was it more for its architectural significance or its historical significance as the site of the asassination of Malcom X? Hmmmm. If historical/political considerations have at least a 50% impact on consideration for designation, then the LPC decision seems a bit premature. Too bad they couldn’t have fleshed out their rejection a bit more. Or at least done their own study, and, like the Gowanus Lounge article states, put forth a plan to thoroughly document the site. I hope that this is not over.
Charles Barron needs to get his team down there.