The saga of the buildings on Duffield Street in Downtown Brooklyn that are said to be Underground Railroad safehouses continues. An Aloft Hotel is already under construction across the street from the buildings and the owners are still trying to save the buildings. The city wants to build an underground parking garage on the site, which some say were part of the Underground Railroad in Brooklyn. It's turned into quite a nasty fight too, with consultant hired by the Economic Development Corp. producing a 500-page report saying the sites have no historic significance and preservationists saying the consultant deliberately overlooked documents and evidence to justify the parking lot. Meanwhile, public hearings have been scheduled, cancelled, rescheduled, cancelled again and rescheduled.
· City Council Waffles on Underground Railroad Safehouses [Daily Gotham]
· Downtown Brooklyn Underground Railroad Report [NY Economic Devel. Corp.]
· Brooklyn Hotel Update: Got to Put the Tourists Somewhere [Curbed]
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