News Release

National Park Service Temporarily Closes African Burial Ground National Monument Ancestral Chamber

Date: August 12, 2022
Contact: Shirley McKinney, 917-686-3764

NEW YORK CITY – Several features within African Burial Ground National Monument’s outdoor memorial are temporarily closed due to safety concerns. The Ancestral Chamber is showing signs of stress and must be assessed prior to reopening. The visitor center, located at 290 Broadway, remains open.

Access to the inside of the Ancestral Chamber, Ancestral Libation Court and Spiral Processional Ramp will remain closed to protect our visitors, employees and the physical cultural resources. During this period, park rangers will use a 3D model of the outdoor memorial to provide visitors with an orientation of each of the design features and escort them outside to view the exterior of the Ancestral Chamber and the Ancestral Reinternment area.

Multiple hairline fractures along the foundation and the apparent shift of some materials have given park officials cause for concern. The monument has a subway beneath the structure that may have redistributed the weight of the black marble on the Ancestral Chamber. A structural engineer will be on site on Tuesday, August 16, to further assess the situation.

African Burial Ground National Monument consists of two components: the visitor center, which is located at 290 Broadway on the first floor of the Ted Weiss Federal Building in Lower Manhattan, and the outdoor memorial at the intersection of African Burial Ground Way (formerly Elk Street) and Duane Street. All visitors to the visitor center must go through airport-style security screening.

For more information, please call 212-238-4367 to speak with a park ranger.

About African Burial Ground National Monument
African Burial Ground is the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans. It protects the historic role slavery played in building New York City. The site honors both the spirit of those buried here and those who fought for the respectful protection of this site for this and future generations. Find directions here.
 

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