In the heart of New York’s financial center, a vacant building has sat untouched for decades. Behind its unassuming brass shell is the story of a once-famed oyster house and the overlooked life of Thomas Downing, the city’s Black oyster king. During the 1800s, the elite flocked to Downing’s Broad street oyster house for his freshest catch—considered the best in the city. Downing, born to formerly enslaved parents, rubbed elbows with the elite throughout his career and only served white patrons in his restaurant. Little did they know, he was hiding a dangerous secret in the basement.
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