Chelsea
Chelsea is a vibrant, picturesque, and hospitable neighborhood in New York City with a wide variety of things to do. It is the center of New York’s art gallery and boutique retail scene and is no stranger to the city’s nightlife. The High Line, a parkway stretching 1.45 miles across Chelsea, is home to more than 500 plant and tree species. Beautiful brownstones and lush landscaping surround the streets, making for a peaceful escape from the bustle of nearby midtown Manhattan.
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission established the Chelsea Historic District in 1970 and its extension in 1981. Originally included in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, the area was later expanded to encompass adjacent blocks in 1982 because of the exceptional quality of their period architecture.
Tenements, apartment blocks, city housing projects, townhouses, and rebuilt rowhouses make up the bulk of the housing stock, but the area also features numerous shops that speak to the area’s rich cultural and racial variety. The local LGBTQ community is rather sizable. The gentrification of the region has led to a growing economic disparity between the wealthy in high-rises and the poor in public housing, which are sometimes located on opposite sides of the same street in 2015.
The farm of Jacob Somerindyck was purchased by retired British Major Thomas Clarke in August 1750, and the estate and Georgian-style home he built on the property later became known as Chelsea. From the Hudson River to Eighth Avenue, the area was limited by the future 21st and 24th Streets. The name “Chelsea” was chosen by Clarke in honor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London.
After Clarke’s death, his daughter Charity inherited the property; she and her husband Benjamin Moore expanded the property to the south, all the way to 19th Street. Clement Clarke Moore, their son, was born in the house, and he eventually took ownership of it. Moore is well acknowledged as the author of “A Visit From St. Nicholas” and the first Greek and Hebrew dictionaries to be published in the United States.
Several tube lines converge in Chelsea, making it easily accessible, and there are eateries on nearly every block. One of the world’s most well-known indoor markets, Chelsea Market, is located here. Residents of Chelsea, New York City, say that the neighborhood’s dynamic atmosphere comes from its people, art, and parks.