A Duffield Street Underground Railroad Home Escapes the Wrecking Ball!

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the city has pledged that it will not use eminent domain to condemn 227 Duffield Street, one of the seven sites on Duffield said to be part of the historic Underground Railroad .

The city, in a settlement filed on Friday, agreed to allow Joy Chatel to retain ownership of her home on Duffield Street. Sources told the Eagle that the city most likely wants to avoid a long, messy legal battle that would delay the construction of a public plaza and parking garage planned there as part of the Downtown Brooklyn Redevelopment Plan.

Oddly enough, one hand of the City recently co-named Duffield Street "Abolitionist Place" in honor of its Underground Railroad past, while the other hand had been steadfastly trying to demolish many of the homes thought to be part of this past.

According to Develop, Don't Destroy Brooklyn, a press conference -- to be attended by a slew of representatives, advocates and others -- is slated to be held Monday at noon in front of the Chatel home.

UPDATE: Monday's toast here.

More here.

- Second Hearing on Underground Railroad Properties in Downtown Brooklyn
- Second Chance for Duffield Street Underground Railroad Homes
- Buildings Shooting Up in Downtown Brooklyn, Why Offer Incentives?
- City to Commemorate Underground RR in Brooklyn -- At Site Where It Wants to Demolish Alleged Underground RR Safehouse
- Goodbye Duffield Street Underground RR Homes
- Video Explains All: Brooklyn's Duffield St. Houses
- Lawsuit to Save 'Duffield Seven' from Downtown Brooklyn Plan
- Brooklyn Underground Railroad Home for Sale for $4.5 Million
- Underground RR Consultants Tried to Pull (Another) Fast One
- Atlantic Yards Consultant Bill Up to $4.8 Million
- Red Hook Lane Demapped, No Longer Exists
- Is $500,000 Underground Railroad Study Bogus?

Photos by MK Metz