Seneca Village
A Powerful Story of Rediscovery and Remembrance
Detail of Egbert Viele's Map of the Lands Included in the Central Park, 1856. Courtesy of the Municipal Archives.
Seneca Village History
Before Central Park, the landscape along what is now the Park’s perimeter from West 82nd to 89th Streets was home to a thriving, predominantly Black community known today as Seneca Village.
The map is an antique engraving showing plots, paths, and trees. Courtesy of the Municipal Archives.
Programs & Events
Wednesday Mar 25
Shaping Public Memory in NYC Public Parks
Join the Central Park Conservancy and Urban Design Forum for a conversation on how public process shapes commemoration in New York City’s public parks.
Seneca Village: Toward a Permanent Commemoration (2025)
This year, the 200th anniversary of the inception of Seneca Village, the Conservancy launched a multiyear program series aimed at deepening understanding of this thriving pre-park community.
Juneteenth in Seneca Village (2025)
This event is part of Seneca Village: Toward a Permanent Commemoration, an ongoing program series funded by the Mellon Foundation.
Founders' Day (2025)
Central Park Conservancy honored this significant anniversary with a music-filled service at the historic AME Zion Church in Harlem—the first Black church in New York City (in collaboration with the James L. Varick Community Center, Inc.).
Before, there was Seneca Village! (2025)
The Central Park Conservancy invited community members to join us in the historic Seneca Village landscape in Central Park for a performance that transported them back to Seneca Village in 1845.
From Addisleigh Park to Seneca Village (2025)
In conjunction with the exhibition Olney Marie Ryland: Urbane Facades, the Yeh Art Gallery and the Central Park Conservancy presented a conversation exploring creative approaches to the preservation and commemoration of historic African American communities through architectural form.
Monday Mar 16 + More Dates
Seneca Village Educators' Tour
Before Central Park was built, the area from West 82nd to West 89th Street was home to Seneca Village, the largest community of African-American property owners in New York.
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Your feedback will inform the development of a framework for the permanent commemoration of Seneca Village in Central Park and help guide our public programming, supported by the Mellon Foundation.
Photo: Juneteenth in Seneca Village event
Commemorating Seneca Village
With generous support from the Mellon Foundation, we’re leading a multi-year initiative to inform the permanent commemoration of Seneca Village through community engagement and artistic collaboration. This groundbreaking project will culminate in a community-informed framework to guide the design of a permanent commemoration in Central Park.
Photo: Summit Rock, Seneca Village landscape