Trump SoHo: A Shiny Hotel Wrapped In Glass, But Hiding Mysteries

In December 2006, workers broke cold ground in lower Manhattan, preparing the way for a glass-clad, towering hotel, to be called Trump SoHo.

There, just west of the South-of-Houston-Street neighborhood, the backhoes dug down.

And they hit hundreds of bones: human skulls, femurs and forearms.

Turns out, the site had once held the 19th-century burial vault of a church known for its abolitionist stance and inclusion of African-Americans. The hotel developers — including a little-known company called Bayrock Group — suddenly owned an American historic site.

Church archivist David Pultz says Bayrock officials stalled DNA testing for years. "My suspicion was they were trying to avoid controversy" that might bring more scrutiny, he said.

A hotel behind veils

In fact, at Trump SoHo, a lot remains unknown, including the project's true source of funding.

But now the man whose name brands the hotel — Donald Trump — lives in the White House. And his financial ties reportedly are being investigated by Department of Justice special counsel Robert Mueller in connection with a larger probe into possible ties between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russian officials.

Note this: , Bayrock's former finance director Jody