Buildings: Entrances to Shadow City
West Village
(In the late 20th century, the owner of this building discovered a secret room hidden beneath his basement. He also discovered that the room had been used as a speakeasy in the 1930’s. Fortunately, he did not find the passage that leads to a thieves' den fifty feet below in the Shadow City.)
(Originally built by the US Vice President Aaron Burr, this building has a secret room under its basement that may have been used to house runaway slaves during the Civil War. A well-disguised escape route leads to the Shadow City.)
(Most of the older houses on these two crooked little streets have hidden entrances to the Shadow City. During the 19th century, these were said to be the most dangerous blocks in all of New York, home to dozens of thieves, murderers, and tax evaders.)
(Originally, there were two entrances to the Shadow City on this block, but not long ago, one was destroyed in an unfortunate explosion. Interestingly, since the nearby Hudson River was once prone to flooding, all the entrances in this part of the city were designed to be waterproof.)
(Beneath one of these old stables is an entrance to the Shadow City. It was built by a legendary horse thief who would climb up to the stables in the middle of the night and make off with the horses lodged inside.)
East Village
(For many years, this building was a home for wayward young ladies. Its residents escaped one night in 1874 when one particularly adventurous girl discovered a hidden trapdoor in the basement.)
(Though now in disrepair, this once stately mansion was home to the author and reputed con man Percy Leake III at the time of his mysterious disappearance.)