Underground Railroad hideaway in Manhattan museum faces demolition risk

A hidden chute inside the Merchant's House Museum on East 4th Street, built in 1832 for Joseph Brewster and his wife Susanna, served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The two-foot-square vertical passage connects a basement pantry to second-floor bedrooms, accessible via a hatch in a built-in dresser. Recent archival research revealed the Brewsters were fervent abolitionists who supported racially integrated congregations and signed antislavery petitions. The chute, described by preservationist Patrick Ciccone as "completely atypical" of the era, is one of the few surviving purpose-built bolt-holes in a public building. The museum's western wall adjoins a garage slated for demolition to make way for a commercial building. Preservation architect Michael Devonshire warns that vibration monitoring may not prevent structural collapse. Since February, the story has been covered by hundreds of outlets including the New York Times and People. The museum is developing Underground Railroad programs and calling for the city to acquire the garage site for an education center.