By Nicole Breskin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CHELSEA — A dozen buildings in Chelsea that played a critical role in the abolitionist movement, including one that served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, were designated as a historic district by the City Council on Wednesday.
The Lamartine Place Historic District includes an 1847 row house on W. 29th Street that was once owned by Abigail Hopper Gibbons, daughter of Underground Railroad founder Isaac Tatem Hopper, and served as a refuge for slaves fleeing the South for Canada. The area was firebombed during riots in 1863, with lynchings taking place nearby.
“There are very few African American historical sites that have survived,” said Julie Finch, of Friends of Hopper Gibbons Underground Railroad site. “This area will serve as a memorial to the people who died.”
Finch worked with CUNY Professor Fern Luskin, who lives on the historic block, to landmark the area after an April 2007 roof addition to a nearby building sparked her curiosity about the historic structures in the area.
“My first interest was because of the addition’s aesthetic discordance on the block,” Finch said. “As I learned more, the story gripped my life.”
Through research at the New-York Historical Society and CUNY Graduate Center Library, the pair connected the present Chelsea block with what had been known as "Lamartine Place" — a hotbed for civil rights in the 19th century.
"The rich history of the Underground Railroad in New York City is vitally important to preserve and to document and to study,” City Council Speaker Christine Quinn told DNAinfo. “The stories of those who risked their lives for others and pioneered the very first American civil rights struggles will be passed on to future generations."
The Landmarks Preservation Commission approved the historic designation in October 2009 before the city followed suit last week.
The Department of Buildings last year revoked building permits in the district and has now issued stop work orders to prevent further construction. New projects will now be subject to approval by the LPC.
“I’m very proud,” said Larry Huntington, a descendent of Isaac Tatem Hopper. “This area is an important landmark in the history of this city and the country.”
