Seneca Village - Sacred Sites Open House

The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s annual Sacred Sites Open House welcomes visitors to explore the buildings, histories, cultures, and communities of participating congregations and sites through unique tours and programming. This year’s theme is Holding Community Memories.

Join Central Park Conservancy guides on a free tour of Seneca Village, a predominantly Black community that existed along what is now the Park’s perimeter from West 82nd to 89th Street, as part of the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites Open House weekend.

Seneca Village was established in 1825 when free Black residents from downtown started purchasing land within what would later become Central Park. By 1855, Seneca Village was home to 225 residents – two-thirds Black and one-third Irish – three churches, and a school. When the City acquired the land for Central Park in 1857, its residents were displaced and forgotten.

• African Union Methodist Church was the first church built in the village, in 1840, and one of two Black Methodist churches.
• All Angels’ Episcopal Church was built in 1849.
• African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church purchased land in Seneca Village for burials in 1825 and built a church in 1853.

In honor of the open house theme, Holding Community Memories, visitors will tour the Seneca Village landscape, gain insight into this community, and learn about the events that resulted in the displacement of Seneca Village residents for the construction of a new park. We also encourage attendees to visit Harlem AME Zion Church and All Angels’ Church, descendant congregations of Seneca Village churches, to explore their sacred sites.

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- 1:00 pm – Site Tour

- 3:00 pm – Site Tour

- 1:00 pm – Site Tour

- 2:30 pm – The Cemeteries of Seneca Village: Laws and Land Use (with Elizabeth D. Meade, Ph.D.)

Tours will begin in the Seneca Village landscape between West 85th Street and West Drive. Enter the Park at West 85th Street.

Visitors can also explore on their own through “Discover Seneca Village,” an in-Park exhibit of interpretive signs about Seneca Village, marking sites such as churches, homes, and natural features. These signs integrate many years of research, conducted by the Institute for the Exploration of Seneca Village History, the Conservancy, and others. For those unable to visit the Park in person, the signage is available for download.

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The New York Landmarks Conservancy, a private non-profit organization, has led the effort to preserve and protect New York City’s architectural legacy for over 50 years. Since its founding, the Conservancy has loaned and granted more than $60 million, which has leveraged more than $900 million in more than 1,300 restoration projects throughout New York, revitalizing communities, providing economic stimulus and supporting local jobs. The Conservancy has also offered countless hours of pro bono technical advice to building owners, both nonprofit organizations and individuals. The Conservancy’s work has saved more than a thousand buildings across the City and State, protecting New York’s distinctive architectural heritage for residents and visitors alike today, and for future generations.

This event is part of , an ongoing program series funded by the Mellon Foundation. The program series will culminate in a community-informed framework guiding the future design of a permanent commemoration of Seneca Village in Central Park.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Seneca Village Site, Central Park West, New York, United States

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