By Stephen Witt
The owner of a Duffield Street house thought to be part of the Underground Railroad, and which was saved from eminent domain after it became a community cause celebre, confirmed last week she wants to sell part of it. “I want to sell the air rights, but not the house,” said Joy Chatel, owner of the four-story house at 227 Duffield Street. Chatel maintained that she is committed to keeping the house as a cultural center and turning it into a museum dedicated to the Abolitionist movement and Underground Railroad that was popular in Downtown Brooklyn. At the moment there is a fundraiser being planned to turn the home into a museum, she said. Chatel’s comments came among rumors that she was looking to sell the house after the city reached a court settlement late last year saving the home from the possibility of eminent domain. Selling air rights means that her four-story house is actually on a property that is zoned to go as tall as 10 stories, and perhaps taller depending on its usage. Thus she could sell the air above her current house for further development. Preservation activists and officials tried to get the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to landmark the house, but the LPC turned down the request. “The property didn’t merit designation from an architectural standpoint, and furthermore the [city commissioned] study found no definitive link to the Underground Railroad,” said LPC spokesperson Lisi de Bourbon. The home, built in 1848, was owned by Thomas and Harriet Lee-Truesdell, prominent abolitionists of that era. Abolitionists were people who opposed slavery in America and often helped slaves escape bondage. The city had planned to seize the property, along with homes located at 225, 231, 235, 223 and 233 Duffield Street and 436 Gold Street to make way for the proposed Willoughby Square, a 1.5-acre open space park along with a 770-car parking garage directly beneath it. The city deems the park and garage essential as part of the massive Downtown Brooklyn redevelopment after the area was rezoned in 2004. Lou Greenstein, who owns the home at 233 Duffield Street, said rumors have been rampant that he was in the midst of selling his property. But Greenstein vehemently denied the rumors and speculated they have surfaced to get him and Chatel to sell their property. Already several of the other properties have been sold, including 231 Duffield Street. There is a fair amount pressure to sell because the area has become a hot item, he said. “I haven’t made any agreements. At this point in time the building is not for sale,” said Greenstein. “If somebody comes to me and presents something I can tolerate, I’ll entertain the thought. What I want to get done is to protect the history of the block in some fashion,” he added. Jennifer Levy, the attorney representing Chatel in the suit that was settled with the city, noted that selling air rights is not that unusual to help in raising funds. For instance, several churches sell their air rights to keep the religious institution solvent, she said. “That was her [Chatel] plan to sell the air rights for financial gain to fund the museum,” said Levy.
