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History of Chelsea

by | Feb 7, 2017

Walking through the compact and busy streets, one might never know that Chelsea, currently a bustling mix of commercial and residential buildings, was once named after a hospital that treated soldiers in England. Major Thomas Clarke was so captivated by this final resting place for war-beaten men that he named his grassy fields in NYC after the hospital, forgoing his own surname and estate.


Chelsea_Hotel,_222_West_23rd_Street,_Manhattan._(3109774065)PC: New York Public Library

Grassy meadows eventually conformed to the burgeoning city under Major Clarke’s grandson who bestowed the family apple orchard to the General Theological Seminary and partitioned the remnants of the estate into plots for new residential homes. Although Clement Clarke authorized new city development, he instructed that every plot had to be residential with little gardens out front to ensure that the city workers would live with nature, rather than smoke from factories.
PC: New-York Historical Society Library, Maps CollectionPC: New-York Historical Society Library, Maps Collection
Lost in the grid of streets stands the last underground railway house that encouraged and protected runaway slaves in the city. In 1847 the pitter-patter of children’s feet on residential streets transformed into the throb of the Hudson railway establishing Chelsea as an industrial arena manufacturing turpentine and gas. Mechanized jobs lured immigrants from Europe and soon tenements and breweries emerged to house and entertain the men and women isolated so far from home. The chaotic tensions in Chelsea stemming from differing opinions between Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics culminated in a deathly riot in 1871.
PC: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online CatalogPC: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog

Fortunately, the bloodied streets during the Tammany Hall administration redeveloped into cinemas and theaters captivating Chelsea residents with silent films performed by the influential Mary Pickford and others. Manufacturing plants during World War II evolved from fabricating turpentine to housing tons of uranium for the Manhattan project.
PC: Elvert BarnesPC: Elvert Barnes

Industrial spaces have currently reformed into modern theaters displaying visual art, dance, and fashion design. Boutique restaurants and specialized bars are interwoven with modern establishments such as Equinox gyms and Whole Foods throughout Chelsea. Art now bleeds out of art museums onto Chelsea streets, as contemporary street artists bedeck restaurants with colorful portraits and expressive figures.


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