Before it became the iconic urban oasis known as Central Park, the vast expanse of land in mid-Manhattan was a diverse and largely undeveloped area consisting of rocky outcrops, swamps, small farms, and a number of communities, most notably Seneca Village.
The Displaced Community: Seneca Village
One of the most significant features of the land before Central Park was the vibrant community of Seneca Village. Located along what is now the Park's perimeter from West 82nd to West 89th Street, Seneca Village was established in 1825. It was a thriving, predominantly African-American settlement, unique for its time because many of its residents owned property.
- Property Ownership: Owning land in Seneca Village provided a crucial pathway to suffrage for Black men in New York, as the state required Black men to own $250 in property to vote.
- Community Life: The village featured three churches, a school, and various homes, gardens, and farms, indicating a stable and self-sufficient community.
- Diversity: While primarily African-American, Seneca Village was also home to Irish and German immigrants, reflecting the diverse fabric of New York at the time.
By the 1850s, when the city decided to create Central Park, the residents of Seneca Village, along with others living on the designated land, were displaced through eminent domain. This forced removal, often with inadequate compensation, erased a significant part of New York City's early Black history.
A Diverse Landscape
Beyond Seneca Village, the proposed park site was far from the manicured lawns and picturesque scenery we know today. It was generally considered undesirable for development due to its challenging topography.
- Natural Obstacles: The land included a mix of rocky terrain, marshlands, and dense thickets, posing significant engineering challenges for the park's designers, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux.
- Small Settlements and Farms: Scattered across the area were various small shantytowns, piggeries, and individual farms, inhabited by working-class families and squatters. These residents, like those in Seneca Village, were also evicted to make way for the park.
- Rural Outskirts: In the mid-19th century, this part of Manhattan was considered the rural northern outskirts of the rapidly growing city, a stark contrast to the bustling downtown area.
The transformation of this rugged, inhabited landscape into Central Park was one of the largest public works projects of its time, requiring immense human labor to excavate, blast rock, drain swamps, and import millions of trees and shrubs to create the pastoral landscape that exists today.
