Queen Jay

Did you know that an entire Manhattan village owned by black people was destroyed to build Central Park. The community was called Seneca Village. It spanned from 82nd Street to 89th Street. Long before these trees, paths, and open lawns existed, this land was home to Seneca Village—a thriving community founded in 1825 by free Black Americans. Located between what we now know as West 82nd Street and West 89th Street, Seneca Village was a place of stability, ownership, and independence during a time when those things were deliberately denied to many. Families here owned their homes. They built churches, a school, and created a close-knit neighborhood where children were educated and adults exercised civic rights. Property ownership in Seneca Village even allowed Black men to vote, granting a level of political voice that was rare in New York at the time. Later, Irish immigrants also became residents, making it one of the city’s earliest racially integrated communities. In the 1850s, the land was taken to make way for Central Park. Entire households were forced to leave. Homes were torn down. A living community disappeared so a public space could rise in its place. Today, millions walk through this park unaware of what once existed beneath their feet. This image is more than a scenic view—it marks a place where lives were built, futures were shaped, and a community once stood proud.

Louis Armstrong playing for his wife Lucille, in front of the Sphinx, Egypt, 1961.