This Secret Passageway May Have Been Part of the Underground Railroad. Now, Preservationists Say It’s in Danger

The Merchant’s House Museum in New York City announced its investigation into the tunnel’s history in February. A neighboring development could threaten the building’s walls and foundations

Sonja Anderson | Daily Correspondent

April 1, 2026

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Earlier this year, the Merchant’s House Museum in New York City announced the discovery of a narrow tunnel hidden beneath a built-in dresser on the second floor. Experts think this passageway may have been part of the Underground Railroad.

But now, museum officials say the site is in danger. Developers are planning to construct a new building next door, and supporters of the museum argue that the project could damage the historic structure’s walls and foundations.

“What our engineers are saying is that there really is no way that a building of that size is built immediately next door to the museum without causing significant structural damage to our historic building,” Emily Hill-Wright, the museum’s director of operations, tells the Associated Press’ Terry Tang and Joseph Frederick.

Located in Manhattan, the house was built by Joseph Brewster in 1832. The building exchanged hands several times before opening as a museum in 1936. Through hundreds of original furnishings and objects on display, visitors can immerse themselves in the life of a wealthy Manhattan family from the 19th century.

Museum officials had known about the passageway. But a few years ago, they learned that Brewster had been an abolitionist. After conducting extensive research on Brewster’s life, they concluded that he may have designed the tunnel to shelter enslaved laborers who had escaped.

“To find a previously undiscovered Underground Railroad site is the holy grail of historic preservation,” attorney Michael Hiller, who represents the Merchant’s House Museum, tells the New York Post’s Angela Barbuti and Rich Calder.

Today, the Merchant’s House Museum’s neighbor is a one-story garage, according to a statement from the museum. The institution has been fighting against developers’ plans to replace that garage with a taller building since 2012. Museum staffers and supporters testified against these plans at a recent public hearing hosted by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The museum hired structural engineer Michael Schuller, who evaluated the development plans and concluded that the new building would cause cracks in the historic structure’s plaster, per the New York Post. Museum officials say that if the construction moves forward, the museum will need to close for at least two years and spend an estimated $4.1 million to secure the building.

“Its position in the house could not be more perilous,” Hill-Wright tells Artnet’s Vittoria Benzine. “Given the expected damage to the plaster walls and ceiling, it is unlikely the passage would survive construction.”

Harvey Epstein, who represents the neighborhood on the New York City Council, urged the commission to reject the development application, saying it could threaten other historic discoveries connected to the tunnel, according to the New York Post. An architect and a structural engineer associated with the development also spoke at the hearing, arguing that the new building wouldn’t damage the museum.

Meanwhile, the museum is also welcoming new visitors who have come to see the historic Underground Railroad passageway. When the tunnel was constructed in the 1830s, slavery had been largely abolished in New York, but assisting a runaway was illegal, and the consequences were severe.

“Bounty hunters were all over the place in New York City. They made their living on catching freedom-seeking Blacks,” Jacob Morris, director of the Harlem Historical Society, tells the AP. “If you got caught helping Blacks escape from slavery, a mob could come and burn down your house and beat you up—and maybe even tar and feather you, or worse.”

After officials announced the discovery of the passageway, they began allowing visitors to see it in person. According to the statement, the tunnel is the “only intact site of the Underground Railroad in Manhattan open to the public.”

“February was our highest month for visitors in over a year,” Hill-Wright tells the AP. “You almost get choked up because it is a very visceral experience to see it with your own eyes.”

Sonja Anderson | Read More

Sonja Anderson is a writer and reporter based in Chicago.