36 Lispenard Street

36 Lispenard Street

This well-preserved five story red brick building is one of the prettiest structures on Lispenard Street. The apartment building also contains some small retail space on the ground floor. The most notable feature of the handsome edifice is a small plaque on the wall of the ground floor. The plaque identifies the building as one of the integral stops on the Underground Railroad. The building was the home of prominent African-American abolitionist David Ruggles. Ruggles ran a bookstore for many years down the street at 67 Lispenard and also opened a boarding house in the building at 36 Lispenard. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Committee placed the plaque on the façade of the building in order to commemorate the great deeds of David Ruggles. Ruggles provided refuge for many slaves at 36 Lispenard, including a recently escaped Frederick Douglass.