The Lost Community of Seneca Village

Did you know that a thriving Black community once stood where Central Park is today?

It was called Seneca Village, founded around 1825 by free Black landowners and some white settlers.

By the mid-1850s, it was home to about 225 residents, complete with homes, churches,

and a school—a rare place where African Americans could own property and vote.

But in 1853, New York City decided it needed a massive public park. Civic leaders argued

that Manhattan’s growing population needed green space. To create Central Park,

the city turned to a legal tool called eminent domain, which allows governments to take private

property for public use, provided they pay “just compensation.” Between 1855 and