Chelsea Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chelsea Park |
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Artificial turf soccer field
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| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Bounded by Ninth & Tenth Avenues and West 27th & 28th Streets |
| Nearest city | New York City |
| Created | 1910 |
| Operated by | New York City Department of Parks and Recreation |
Chelsea Park is a cool park in the Chelsea area of Manhattan, New York City. It first opened way back in 1910!
This park is a great place for sports and fun. It has fields for games, courts for basketball and handball, and a playground for kids. You can also find quiet spots to sit and relax. Most of the park is covered with pavement or artificial grass. There are also special spots for trees and pretty flower beds.
A special statue honoring a World War I soldier, called the "Doughboy Statue," was put up in 1921. Over the years, the park has been improved many times by groups like the Works Progress Administration and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
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Where is Chelsea Park?
Chelsea Park is located in Manhattan, between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. It's also between West 27th and West 28th Streets.
The park is pretty big, covering almost 4 acres (about 1.6 hectares). Fences surround the park to keep the play areas safe, with gates to enter and exit. The soccer field has taller fences around it.
Right next to the park, on 26th Street, are some tall apartment buildings run by the New York City Housing Authority. There's also a public school (PS 33 Chelsea Prep) and a community center called Hudson Guild Settlement House. North of the park, you'll find a large mail building. Across 9th Avenue, you can see the historic Church of the Holy Apostles, built in 1848.
What's Inside Chelsea Park?
Chelsea Park is a busy place with lots to do! It has areas for both active games and quiet relaxation.
Sports and Fun Areas
The park has baseball fields, basketball courts, and six handball courts. A large artificial turf field covers about one-third of the park. This field is perfect for soccer and other games.
The basketball court is named the P.O. David Willis Basketball Court. It honors a New York City Police Department officer, David Willis, who used to patrol the park.
You can find public restrooms at West 27th Street and 9th Avenue. They are open all year. The park also has a District Health Center, which is a low red brick building.
Trees and Nature
Even though it's in the city, Chelsea Park has many trees. There are 27 large London plane trees around the edges of the park. Another 28 similar trees are scattered inside. Most of these trees are very tall, about 15 to 20 meters (50 to 65 feet) high.
Most of the park's ground is paved, so the trees grow in special pits. The only other green areas are the flower beds near the monument and the health center.
Birds and the Mail Building
The tall Morgan Mail Building, located north of the park, can be a bit tricky for birds. Many birds fly into its windows, especially in mid-May. The building has reflective glass panels that look like windows. Birds sometimes get confused by the reflections of the park's trees in the glass.
Studies have shown that many migratory birds collide with these windows. About 80% of these collisions are fatal. Most bird collisions happen during the day, especially where there are more trees. This suggests that the reflections of trees are a big problem for the birds.
The Doughboy Statue
Chelsea Park is one of nine parks in New York City with a monument to local heroes from World War I (1914–1918).
The Chelsea Park Memorial, also known as the Doughboy Statue, is a tall granite monument. It's about 14 feet (4.3 meters) high. On top of it is a bronze statue of an American soldier. "Doughboy" was a nickname for infantry soldiers during World War I.
The statue's base says: "To the Soldiers and Sailors of Chelsea World War 1914–1918." The monument is surrounded by cobblestones and stands near the Health Center.
The famous architect Charles Rollinson Lamb designed the memorial. The soldier statue was made by a French-born sculptor named Philip Martiny. The soldier holds a rifle and has a flag draped over his shoulders. He looks strong and ready to face anything.
Special Gateposts
In front of the District Health Center, you'll also see two pairs of special gateposts. These were added in 1926. They remember three important people: Frank L. Dowling, Frank J. Goodwin, and William L. Kavanagh.
History of Chelsea Park
Chelsea Park has a long and interesting history, going back over a hundred years!
How the Park Started (1904–1918)
In 1904, a group called the Chelsea Improvement Society suggested building a playground here. There weren't many parks in the area at the time. The land was mostly covered with apartment buildings called tenements.
It took a while to get the park approved and funded. The city finally bought all the land needed for the park in 1906. At first, it was about 3.177 acres (1.28 hectares).
Demolishing the old buildings was slow. By 1907, only a few had been cleared. A temporary playground was set up in 1908. The first permanent playground in the park officially opened in June 1910. Soon after, plans were made for a baseball field. The New York City Board of Recreation started organizing sports events that drew big crowds.
Changes Between the World Wars (1919–1941)
The Chelsea Doughboy Statue, which cost $10,000, was given to the park by the Chelsea Memorial Committee. It was officially dedicated on April 7, 1921. The special gateposts remembering Dowling, Goodwin, and Kavanagh were put in place in 1926.
In 1934, the Department of Parks began rebuilding a part of the park. This section reopened on June 25, 1936. It included a large play area, a ball field, handball courts, and play equipment for small children.
A health center building was also proposed for the park in 1935. This building, called the Lower West Side Health Center, was built as part of a big government program called the Public Works Administration. It opened in July 1937. It even had a public playground on its roof!
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) made even more changes to the park. They added a new paved area that could be flooded for ice-skating in winter. In warmer weather, it was used for roller skating, roller hockey, softball, and other games. The WPA also built new basketball and handball courts. Floodlights were added to the softball fields in 1940. The children's playground got a big wading pool and brick restrooms. The park, with all its new features, officially reopened on June 6, 1940. The mayor, Fiorello H. La Guardia, and Parks Commissioner Robert Moses were there for the ceremony.
Modern Updates (1945–Present)
After World War II, Chelsea Park continued to get updates. In 1949, there were plans to add an indoor swimming pool to the park. In November 1953, an extension to the park opened. It added two handball courts, three basketball courts, and exercise equipment.
By 1988, the park was very popular, especially from April to November. The baseball fields were often fully booked. The park was considered safe, with crime not being a major issue. Plans were made to upgrade the play equipment in the center of the park.
In the mid-1990s, the playground and basketball courts were restored. The park was upgraded again in the years leading up to 2016. However, the six handball courts were still in poor condition. The New York City Parks Department, with help from the Fairway Community Foundation, fixed up the handball courts in 2016. Holes in the walls were patched, and the walls were repainted. The city spent $127,000 on these renovations. Parks Department Commissioner Mitchell Silver was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the handball courts in August 2016.
