A Pennsylvania Building Believed To Be A Underground Railroad Stop Will Turn Into Apartments

A Pennsylvania building believed to have once been an Underground Railroad stop will be turned into apartments.

The building, located on North Front Street in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was a law office for nearly 40 years but has been vacant for the last two-and-a-half years.

Equity Platforms, a Black-led company, will turn the three-story historic building and the carriage house behind it into apartments, renaming them “Front Street Lofts.”

Two of the eight apartments will be designated for affordable housing. Company CEO Vernon Jay told Penn Live he will work with Section 8 and VASH (HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing). He adds that he’s enthusiastic about the 8,600-square-foot property because of its location along the river in downtown Harrisburg and its possible ties to the Underground Railroad.

“As a Black man in America and as an investor it feels good to be able to convert this office building that is kind of older and it needs to be rejuvenated,” he told the outlet.

Located in the historic downtown Harrisburg Waterfront District, the building, built in 1850, is recorded as a stop on the Underground Railroad. It was built the same year the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 went into effect. The act required that enslaved people be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. According to the American Battlefield Trust, the act also made the federal government responsible for finding, returning, and apprehending those who escaped.

While it wasn’t a physical railroad, the Underground Railroad was a network of safe houses, stations, and routes that helped enslaved people avoid capture. The routes followed natural and artificial modes of transportation, including rivers, canals, bays, the Atlantic Coast, ferries and river crossings, roads, and trails, as the National Parks Service points out.

A Vision for Revitalization and Community Benefit

Equity Platform’s latest venture aligns with President Joe Biden’s initiative to create more affordable housing by converting commercial properties into residential uses.

With federal incentives, including low-interest mortgages and tax breaks, the project is positioned to enhance the community while preserving a piece of American history, according to a news release obtained by Black Enterprise.

“The pandemic has created a more permanent shift in the use of office buildings. By transforming these historic structures into affordable housing, we can reinvigorate our communities while optimizing downtown corridors to their highest and best use,” Jay added.