Getting Involved In Your Neighborhood
Lower Chelsea, Manhattan
Andy's Deli
The Highline
Apple Store
Fulton Houses
The Places
These are the places that have changed, and the places that soon will change. The spaces that are inhabited by those who live in or venture to West 16th street in Manhattan, and their histories in this old New York neighborhood.
These spaces are a few representations of the old and the new in this pocket of Manhattan. They provide only some context on commercial and residential diversity in the neighborhood.
To see a map of these spaces, click HERE.
Hudson Guild Senior Center
Google Building
Chelsea Market
Before it became The Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue was a factory building for Nabisco. It was not redone until 1997. Miguel Acevedo, president of the Fulton Tenants Association calls Chelsea Market a “good neighbor” for the Fulton Houses community, given that they provide college scholarships, host the Fulton Block Party and the Fulton Christmas Party, and even employ 10-15 kids from the neighborhood each year. The market itself caters to niche food markets, providing award winning and delicious food for those who can afford it.
New York Magazine Profile: http://nymag.com/listings/attraction/chelsea-market/
"From Oreos and Mallomars to Today's Chelsea Market" NYTimes
Chelsea Market Website: http://www.chelseamarket.com/
Andy's Deli
You may be wondering, "what is Andy's Deli?" Or maybe you're very happy it appears here on this page next to all the other major 'places' within the neighborhood. Andy's deli is a small and unassuming bodega, like any other in New York, that caters to the middle and lower class residents in the area. It has everything and is convenient, catering to a very different market than some of the small businesses or chain businesses next door to it like 140 Mason, which sells antique and high end furniture, closed in with a iron fence. Andy's Deli may only still exist because of the niche market that has become of the Fulton Houses residents across the street. This has remained a positive and an interesting juxtaposition to new development of commercial businesses in the area.
Apple Store
The glistening Apple Store on the corner of W 14th Street was erected in 2007. According to community organizers in the area, the Apple Store is yet to reach an agreement with local residents and local project managers to “give back” to the community, although it remains a top attraction and major commercial landmark on the divide between Meatpacking and Chelsea. Mr. Acevedo, previously mentioned, believes the Apple Store's involvement to be less than par, stating in an interview that they have yet to offer a way in which, as a commercial deveopment in the area, they could give back to the community. On the other hand, since Tim Cook became CEO in 2011, the company has become much more involved in philanthropy, including a deal it has made to match donations made my employees up to $10,000. If employees can donate to programs within the Chelsea community, Apple will then, hypothetically, match these donations.
Hudson Guild Senior Center
Also a community center, the Guild sits on 17th street and 9th avenue, within the Fulton Houses. For seniors in the neighborhood, it has plenty of resources, including a game room, subsidized lunches, and the Food Bag program, put on through Councilmember Corey Johnson and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. This program offers seniors fresh, state produce at a subsidized rate. The Guild is an old organization that works to better the lives of constituents and residents. It is also a center at which residents of the community can find flyers and updates on what is going on in the neighborhood. For residents looking to get involved and organized, the Hudson Guild is a fine place to start.
The Highline
The famed tourist destination, “The High Line,” used to be an over ground train that ran through the factory. It was abandoned and obsolete until 2009, when money came in from the City to revitalize it. Today it is a huge tourist attraction, and one that has nearly single handedly changed the landscape of the Chelsea neighborhood. With the Highline came plently of new development, new attraction, and new commercial business, further gentrifying Chelsea but also bringing with it more populated streets, more green space, and urban renewal, among other positives. Friends of the High Line, the nonprofit organization that put together and takes care of the Highline's upkeep, tries to stay involved in the events going on in Fulon and do their part in giving back to the community, although they are mostly funded by private funders, limiting Friends of the High Line's resources for giving back.
Fulton Houses
The Robert Fulton Housing projects were built as a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) housing projects in the 1960s, completed in 1965. Since then, they have spanned three and a half blocks wide and an avenue deep, from W 15th to 18th approximately, and have contained 945 apartments ranging from studios to three bedrooms. Today, 2,077 people live in “Fulton,” making an average of under $20,000 a year. Residents of public housing pay approximately 30% of their income, or an average of $445 a month. Residents of Fulton, uniquely, have seen a total change to the Chelsea community in recent years with new businesses and new infrastructure like the High Line making the neighborhood more of a tourist and upper middle to upper class destination. Residents have benefitted from safer, more populated streets, more integrated schools, increased economic diversity, and more. What is important for residents and community organizers, however, is that new developments do their part to raise opportunity and living standards for all members of the community, not just the new community members and/or tourists.
Google Building (111 Eighth Avenue)
111 Eighth Avenue has a rich and interesting history in Chelsea. Built in the early 20th Century, and including nearly 3 million square feet of space, it has served many purposes. While tenants do live in this building, it has mostly served as commercial or warehouse space since the 1970s. Google bought the entire building (making a deal with some current tenants, allowing them to remain tenants) in 2010. It sits prominently across from the Fulton Projects and stretches the entire avenue from 8th to 9th. Google.org, the philanthropy branch of Google, donated $1 million to the Highline in 2010 in order to help with costs of construction and to ensure its completion as a public space.
