An effort to landmark a block of Chelsea row houses that played a key role in New York’s contributions to the abolitionist movement received a ringing endorsement from the City Council’s subcommittee on landmarks at its Tues., Jan. 26, hearing.
The proposal to designate a dozen contiguous properties on W. 29th St. between Eighth and Ninth Aves. as the Lamartine Place Historic District was unanimously approved by the city Landmarks Preservation Commission last October. The application now awaits a final vote by the full City Council.
Eight people provided testimony in favor of the designation, including the two local advocates, Fern Luskin and Julie Finch, who unearthed information confirming that one of the homes acted as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
“As a historian, it was fascinating. You got me with the abolitionist point,” said subcommittee member James Sanders, Jr., of Queens, in his remarks at the hearing. “A noted stop on Underground Railroad, it would be very difficult not to name this a historic site.”
The property at 339 W. 29th St., known as the Hopper Gibbons House, became an unofficial headquarters for the city’s anti-slavery movement and was a stop on the Underground Railroad for slaves fleeing to Canada. The building — named for Abigail Hopper Gibbons, the daughter of noted abolitionist Isaac T. Hopper — became a target for opponents and was burned and ransacked during the Draft Riots of 1863. During the riots, two Gibbons daughters escaped the mob by running across the rooftops of Lamartine Place — one of the reasons the entire block is being considered.
“A lot of times people think of New York State and New York City as a free state and city, but there was a lot of lynchings and things of that nature here, so I’m happy that it’s getting more light that it richly deserves,” said Jumaane Williams, the freshman councilmember from Brooklyn. The subcommittee planned to add a recommendation in its approval that the city install a plaque at the Hopper Gibbons House or a neighboring property to commemorate its historic significance.
Bronx Councilmember Maria del Carmen Arroyo also took a moment to recognize the contributions of Charles Barron, the Brooklyn councilmember who no longer sits on the subcommittee, for being ” very strong voice on this committee to ensure that we document the contributions of the communities of color in this city.”
Added Finch of the designation, “This is an education opportunity for all of us, the whole city.”
Also speaking in support of the landmarking were Simeon Bankoff, executive director of the Historic Districts Council; Andrea Goldwyn, of the New York Landmarks Conservancy; Ed Kirkland, on behalf of Community Board 4; and Robert Trentlyon on behalf of the organization Save Chelsea. Additional testimony was provided by State Sen. Thomas Duane and Assemblymember Richard Gottfried.
