Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Underground Railroad to Underground Parking
By
Dave Hogarty
Published Aug 28, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Dave Hogarty
Published Aug 28, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A number of buildings with a possible connection to Brooklyn's abolitionist past and the Underground Railroad may be razed to make way for a public park and an underground parking garage. The commuter daily amNewYork reported yesterday that the Duffield Houses are slated for replacement by a public park along the lines of Manhattan's Bryant Park, mixed-use residential and commercial development, and the expansion of local colleges. Opponents to the plan include Lewis Greenstein, who owns the building at 233 Duffield St., which was built in 1847 and allegedly played a role in helping escaped slaves make their way to Canada. (Good coverage of the issue at Duffield St. Underground.)
The city recently paid $500,000 for a study to research claims of an underground railroad link, and The Gowanus Lounge reported that a marathon session in the City Council going over that study acknowledged that no certain evidence could be found, but that the study did not rule out the possibility of future evidence arising. The disputed property currently occupied by six homes to be seized by eminent domain will form a 1.15 acre green space called Willoughby Square Park, underneath which will be a parking garage holding 700 vehicles.
Meanwhile, across the East River from Brooklyn, a piece of valuable city-owned real estate lies vacant, not as a park or place of historic interest, but as a testament to battling civic wills and political intransigence. The New York Times describes real estate gridlock:
Attempts over the years to do anything with those lots have failed. On one side are housing advocates who want to preserve housing for residents of modest means as the area goes upscale with nightspots, high-rises and renovated tenements. Their efforts have been rebuffed by residents of the nearby co-op complexes — built by labor unions for their members decades ago, but in more recent years home to young professionals paying higher prices — who want to protect their investment with development that is mostly, though not exclusively, market rate.
People who used to live in buildings on the lots were told they had 90 days to relocate before their homes were torn down. That was 40 years ago. One woman forced to evacuate in 1967 still lives nearby and regards the empty lots wistfully, wondering why she was forced to abandon her home for absolutely nothing. The Times article is a valuable look at how competing interests––economic, social, and political––can serve to strangle an area, even just a few blocks, and leave a blighted series of empty lots as the result.
(Brooklyn graphic from undergroundrailroadsafehouses.org, via The Gowanus Lounge. Map of the LES from The New York Times)
Tagged
brooklyn
bryant
bryant park
canada
city
City Council
Colleges
east river
gowanus lounge
housing
labor
lies
manhattan
new york
new york times
parking
parking garage
people
real estate
The Gowanus Lounge
The New York
the new york times
the times
Underground Railroad
Dave Hogarty
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Gov. Hochul declares upstate NY measles outbreak a ‘disaster emergency’
The declaration is driven by rising case counts in rural areas and in neighboring Pennsylvania.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 4:04 p.m. ET
NYPD detective forced to retire after false statements in Brooklyn investigation
Det. Patrick Craig admitted giving false information to a prosecutor and another detective before police obtained a search warrant.
By
Charles Lane
News
NYPD detective forced to retire after false statements in Brooklyn investigation
Det. Patrick Craig admitted giving false information to a prosecutor and another detective before police obtained a search warrant.
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani faces pressure to forge ahead with plan to fix polluting South Bronx market
By
Elizabeth Kim
Dominican man who shot border patrol officer in NYC sentenced to 15 years in prison
By
Samantha Max
NYC extends program offering late-night soccer games at 5 parks
By
Liam Quigley
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .