Gate of the Exonerated
The first entrance to be named since 1862, the Gate of the Exonerated commemorates the experience of the Exonerated Five and honors all of those wrongly convicted of crimes.
Dedicated on December 19, 2022—the 20th anniversary of the Exonerated Five’s vacated convictions—the Gate of the Exonerated is the first and only addition to Central Park’s official entrance names since the 19th century. It is the product of an extensive, in-depth dialogue with the Harlem community and a response to their desire for healing and belonging in the aftermath of the case and its impact on Black and Latino New Yorkers.
In partnership with the City of New York, NYC Parks, and Manhattan Community Board 10 (representing Central Harlem), the Conservancy unveiled the Gate as a way to permanently commemorate the struggle of individuals wrongfully convicted and the Exonerated Five’s story.
Discover How the Gate of the Exonerated Came to Be
Located on 110th Street between Malcolm X Boulevard and Fifth Avenue (near the neighborhood where the Exonerated Five, formerly known as the Central Park Five, once lived), the Gate of the Exonerated reflects the ideal that inspired the Park’s entrance names in the 1860s: to acknowledge the City’s people, their work, and their stories.
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Restoration and Maintenance
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