An African Burial Ground was established in 1690, eventually containing 15000 graves of free and enslaved Africans; it was rediscovered in 1991 when construction was beginning on the Federal Building.Historians estimate there may have been as many as 10,000–20,000 burials in what was called the "Negroes Burial Ground" in the 1700s. In 1794 2nd African Burial Ground replaced the first African Burial Ground after original ground was decommissioned by the Common Council. In 2010 African Burial Ground National Monument Rodney Leon's winning competition entry design was dedicated as the African Burial Ground National Monument.The current site of the African Burial Ground consists of the outdoor monument, adjacent to the Ted Weiss Federal Building at 290 Broadway, which holds an interpretive center on the first floor for the burial ground. The center features 5 public artworks commissioned and funded by the General Services Administration. "Unearthed" by Frank Bender, sculptor and forensic artist, is a bronze sculpture inspired by three of the individuals removed from the burial ground. "America Song" by Clyde Lynds is a sculpture composed of granite, concrete and fiber optics, and features an Indian headdress and feathers. At night, the sculpture is illuminated by the fiber optics.
