The New York Landmarks Conservancy

The New York Landmarks Conservancy recognizes Juneteenth by celebrating the many contributions of African Americans to New York’s rich cultural legacy. The City is filled with a number of historic sites important to understanding the African American experience here. We encourage you to visit and discover these extraordinary sites for yourself. Visit the link in bio to learn more about these sites.

Congratulations to Palak S. for correctly guessing this month's Mystery Landmark! Thank you to everyone who guessed!

Nathan Hale Statue, City Hall Park
The New York Common (in what is now City Hall Park) is where the American independence movement shed its first blood. The park is home to more than a dozen monuments, including Frederick MacMonnies’s statue of Colonial patriot Nathan Hale (1893). A Captain in the Continental Army, Hale volunteered for an espionage mission after the American defeat at the Battle of Long Island in September 1776. He was captured and executed by British forces and is famously believed to have stated before his death, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

On August 11, 1766, patriots set up a Liberty Pole in today’s City Hall Park, but the British soon demolished it. The infuriated patriots rallied at the park, confronting the armed British soldiers, whose bayonets resulted in the wounding of several Americans. It is also the place where the Declaration of Independence was read by General George Washington to his troops. Several prisons in the park took the lives of many Americans. The park grounds fall under the African Burial Ground and the Commons Historic District. City Hall was designated a landmark in 1966, followed by the interior in 1976.

To celebrate the France vs. Senegal World Cup match on June 16th at Met Life Stadium, we are highlighting the historic sites honoring Senegalese heritage.

New York City's primary Senegalese cultural hub is Little Senegal in Central Harlem. Spanning West 116th Street between Lenox Avenue (Malcolm X Boulevard) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, it’s the heart of the City's West African diaspora. This area of Manhattan is brimming with French-influenced Senegalese cuisine, Wolof-speaking street vendors, markets, Islamic centers, and the well-known Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market.

Can you identify this New York City landmark?

Correctly name the structure or location in the photo and you will automatically be entered into our Mystery Landmark contest drawing. Comment or submit your guess to [email protected] by 5pm on June 16th.

As a hint, in June, as we prepare to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, we’ll highlight New York’s revolutionary landmarks and their significance in the War of Independence and the founding of our country.

To celebrate the France vs. Senegal World Cup match on June 16th at Met Life Stadium, we are highlighting the landmarks and historic sites honoring French heritage.

New York City is home to several major landmarks with deep ties to France, most notably the iconic Statue of Liberty. A gift from the French people, it has welcomed visitors since 1886.

Other notable French-inspired landmarks include:

The Cloisters Museum & Gardens: Located in Fort Tryon Park, this stunning branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art specializes in medieval European art and was specifically designed to resemble French Romanesque abbeys.

Payne Whitney Mansion: Situated on Fifth Avenue, this Gilded Age mansion serves as the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. It houses Albertine Books, a beautiful reading room that specializes in French and English literature.

La Maison Francaise: Built in 1933, this Art Deco commercial building forms the southern anchor of Rockefeller Center and served as a hub for French businesses and culture in Midtown. Its construction was part of a larger plan by the Rockefeller family to create a network of culturally themed buildings—including the British Empire Building and the Palazzo d'Italia—to attract foreign businesses and celebrate global cooperation during the Great Depression.

To celebrate the Brazil vs. Morocco World Cup match on June 13th at Met Life Stadium, we are highlighting the landmarks and historic sites honoring Moroccan heritage.

A North African and Middle Eastern enclave began forming near Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens in the 1960s and 70s. After initially drawing Egyptian immigrants, this established demographic later attracted Moroccan, Tunisian, and Lebanese immigrants in the 1990s. Little Morocco became a vibrant subsection of Steinway Street. The abundant spice shops, grocery stores, bakeries, and street food spots offer Moroccan staples such as merguez and mint tea. Stop by to experience the famous Moroccan culture of hospitality. And visit the following landmarks inspired by Moroccan art and culture:

The Moroccan Court at The Metropolitan Museum is a stunning re-creation of a medieval Islamic courtyard. Completed in 2011, it was built by fourteen craftsmen from Fez, Morocco using 14th-century artisanal methods. The artisans used rare, traditional techniques to carve intricate geometric zillij (cut-tile mosaic) floors, elaborate stucco reliefs, and carved cedar molding.

Ayah Restaurant is located in the SoHo Cast Iron Historic District. Popular for nightly live music performances and traditional North African decor, it is best known for serving elevated Moroccan tagines and spiced cocktails.

To celebrate the Brazil vs. Morocco World Cup match on June 13th at Met Life Stadium, we're highlighting the landmarks and historic sites honoring Brazilian heritage.

New York City's Brazilian history took root in the 1960s when a wave of immigrants arrived to escape domestic economic instability. This migration spawned "Little Brazil" on West 46th Street in Midtown Manhattan, a vibrant commercial corridor that quickly became the community's cultural epicenter. Brazilian Day, the massive annual festival celebrating Brazilian heritage, takes over 20+ blocks on 6th Avenue in Midtown. Held the Sunday before Labor Day, it features Brazilian performers and food stands and draws over 1 million attendees.

Pele Soccer flagship store at 1560 Broadway in Times Square occupies the historic former Embassy Theatre. Frequented by soccer fans seeking its wide variety of international and club jerseys and footwear, it is one of the very few landmarked retail interiors in New York City. Because of its landmark status, the store's retail design was treated as a "stage-set" within the old theater. Shoppers walk down a tunnel-like entrance that was once the Embassy's marquee structure, leading into the old auditorium which has been repurposed into an indoor soccer field with turf, goalposts, and stadium lighting.

The José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva Monument is located in the scenic landmark Bryant Park. Sculpted by prominent Brazilian artist José Otavio Correia Lima, the statue depicts the "Patriarch of the Independence of Brazil.” Unveiled in 1955, the monument celebrates the diplomat who guided Brazil's independence from Portugal, symbolizing enduring diplomatic and cultural ties between Brazil and the United States.

Via Brasil Restaurant is located at 34 W. 46th Street. Opening its doors in 1978, it predated the 1990s and 2000s surge of Brazilian steakhouses, anchoring a bustling block filled with Brazilian haberdasheries and travel agencies. While most of these neighboring shops have since closed, Via Brasil remains one of the longest standing Brazilian staples in the area. The menu highlights include authentic feijoada and caipirinhas.

On the southern tip of Staten Island stands a house that witnessed a historic event in the Revolutionary War, and that is the Conference House, also known as the Billopp House.

On September 11, 1776, the Staten Island Peace Conference was held in this 17th-century house. Present were Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Edward Rutledge from the Continental Congress, and Admiral Lord Richard Howe (of the Royal Navy) representing the British Crown. The Revolutionists refused to accept peace at the cost of British rule. The war went on, and history proved it to be a smart decision.