Historic Brooklyn Homes Preserved Two Months Ahead Of Schedule

BROOKLYN, NY — Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Department of Design and Construction announced the completion of a $4 million restoration of the Hunterfly Road Houses at the Weeksville Heritage Center. Construction, which began in fall 2024, finished in February 2026, two months ahead of schedule.

The project preserved four wood-frame homes built in the 19th century, the last remaining structures of one of the nation’s largest free Black communities before the Civil War.

“Weeksville tells the story of Black New Yorkers who built freedom for themselves in a country that tried to deny them it,” Mamdani said. “It was nearly erased by urban renewal. By restoring the Hunterfly Road Houses, we are preserving not just historic buildings but a living legacy of resilience and self-determination.”

The Hunterfly Road Houses, the only African American historic site in the Northeast located on its original site, were founded in 1848 by James Weeks, a formerly enslaved man from Virginia, and a group of free Black men. By the 1850s, Weeksville had more than 500 residents, offering safety, opportunity, and refuge during periods of racist violence, including the 1863 Draft Riots in Manhattan.

Today, Weeksville Heritage Center educates the public while hosting arts programs, film screenings, intergenerational events, and exhibitions that reflect the spirit of self-determination of the original settlement.

The restoration included exterior work on façades, siding, windows, doors and porches. The project added a climate-controlled storage room, upgraded plumbing, exterior lighting, a new fire alarm system with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and CCTV monitoring.

Funding came from the Mayor’s Office, Brooklyn Borough President, and New York City Council, supplemented by state support.

The Hunterfly Road Houses were rediscovered by local preservationists in 1968, designated a New York City Landmark in 1970, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The restoration secures Weeksville’s legacy amid ongoing development pressures in Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant, preserving a tangible link to the nation’s Black self-created communities.