Chelsea Park

1907 - present

In 1907, the Department of Parks of the City of New York established Chelsea Park between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. Members of the Hudson Guild Settlement House and other reformers in Chelsea were concerned about the lack of space for children to play and believed that a playground would add an important dimension to neighborhood life. Covering a full block, the park included a playground and a number of sports fields and courts. Initially, much of the park was empty space, which was used for educational and recreational activities including plays, movies, athletic competitions, holiday festivals, gardening classes, and shows performed by children at Hudson Guild and P.S. 33 next door. Chelsea Park was the first park in the city to be placed next to a public school. This approach became more popular as educators linked recreation and learning and the Department of Parks and the New York City Board of Education collaborated to maintain parks across the city. In 1940, Parks Commissioner Robert Moses worked with the Works Progress Administration to renovate the park and update recreational equipment. The playground was modernized again in 1969 with a design by architect Paul Friedberg who was famous for building innovative and dynamic playgrounds. At many points throughout the twentieth century, Chelsea residents fought for better maintenance of and investment in the playground and park athletic spaces.

Chelsea Park Playground
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Details

Category
Playground
Audience
All Ages
Corporate Body
New York City Department of Parks

Connections

Location

  • 294 10th Ave, New York, NY 10001, USA
    1907 - present

Archival Collections

  • 1896 - 1990
    at Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University
    Sites of Teaching & Learning 3

  • 1912 - 1980
    at New York Public Library
    Sites of Teaching & Learning 1

References

  1. Arter, Rhetta M. Living in Chelsea: A Study of Human Relations in the Area Served by the Hudson Guild. New York: New York Savings Bank, 1954.
  2. “Chelsea Park Memorial (Doughboy).” New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Accessed April 10, 2018. https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/chelsea-park/monuments/232.
  3. Curtis, Henry Stoddard. The Practical Conduct of Play. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1925.
  4. Emanuel, Muriel. Contemporary Architects. London: The Macmillan Press Ltd, 1980.
  5. Federal Writers’ Project. New York City Guide: A Comprehensive Guide to the Five Boroughs of the Metropolis. New York: Random House, 1939.
  6. “Historical Reports, Press Releases, and Minutes.” New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Accessed March 5, 2018. https://www.nycgovparks.org/news/reports/archive.
  7. Iannacone, Rachel E. “Open Space for the Underclass: New York’s Small Parks (1880-1915). PhD diss., University of Pennsylvania, 2005.
  8. New York Department of Parks. Jointly Operated Playgrounds / Department of Parks [and] Board of Education. New York, 1956.
  9. The Encyclopedia of New York City, 2nd ed. Ed. Kenneth T. Jackson. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010.
  10. Warsh, Marie. "Cultivating Citizens: The Children's School Farm in New York City, 1902–1931." Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum 18, no. 1 (2011): 64-89. doi:10.5749/buildland.18.1.0064.