Honoring a Lost Legacy, Imagining a Future

The University of Seneca Village is an imagined fictional institution, seated near the original Seneca Village site. The University of Seneca Village is a celebration of history and a vision for the future. This project pays homage to the rich heritage of the Seneca Village community, which once thrived before becoming Central Park in Manhattan.

Seneca Village, New York

In the 19th century, land to the north of the city developing in lower Manhattan, was a village that was home to a diverse and vibrant community. A haven for African Americans and Irish immigrants alike, communities that typically struggled in the larger city, the village, with its houses, churches, and schools, represented the resilience and strength of its residents.

In the mid-1800s, the village met a fateful end due to eminent domain, making way for Central Park's construction. Families were uprooted, their homes lost, and the legacy of Seneca Village buried beneath the park's verdant landscape. Eminent domains is a government mechanism used when municipalities need or want to take private land back into the public domain, usually compensating the land owners. Effectively evicting the town.

A Visionary Future

The University of Seneca Village as a project imagines a different path for Seneca Village, one where the community continues to thrive into the modern day. The University of Seneca Village as an imagined fictional institution represents a place where history, culture, and education converge to create a unique and dynamic learning environment. As the only HBCU in New York City,  the university rivals some of the most prestigious institutions in New York City, such as NYU and Columbia. 

Go Crocs!

Drawing inspiration from the traditions of African tribal religions, our university adopts the Crocodile god as its mascot. This symbolizes the power and mystery of the crocodile, a mythical figure that emerges from the New York City sewers, replacing the more commonly associated alligator, in the urban legend of reptiles beneath the city.

In this website, join us in celebrating a lost legacy, embracing a visionary future, and exploring the possibilities that emerge when history and imagination unite.