New plans have been revealed for a forthcoming park at 143 West 14th Street in Chelsea, Manhattan. Developed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns the through-block parcel that also contains a five-story building at 144 West 15th Street, the park will replace a vacant lot between two wall murals. The property is located between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.
The below diagram from the construction board shows a central paver path flanked by gravel with raised garden beds. Low plantings will line the perimeter, and a concrete basketball court will sit at the back of the lot. The park will be accessible through double doors at the center of a gate along West 14th Street.
144 West 15th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
Plans for the property were first announced five years ago, calling for the six-story vertical expansion of the building at 144 West 15th Street, which was constructed in the 1920s and served as a chapel and administrative space for the Mormon Church. Permits from early 2020 listed Aufgang Architects as the project’s designer. It is currently unclear if and when this work will be completed.
Existing building at 144 West 15th Street – WikiCommons
No window cutouts were made into the new wooden sidewalk fencing, making it difficult to spot activity happening inside the lot.
144 West 15th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
The colorful murals on the abutting structures will be left untouched. These works were created by Os Gemeos in September 2017 as an homage to New York City’s breakdancing battles of the 1980s with characters such as the late Frosty Freeze and Kuriaki of the Rock Steady Crew, a denim jacket feature by Todd James, aka REAS, and a photograph of graffiti artist Dondi White by Martha Cooper displayed on a shirt.
144 West 15th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
144 West 15th Street. Photo by Michael Young.
City Creek Reserve, the real estate arm of the Mormon Church, was listed as the developer in plans from 2020. The permit filing specified 11,000 square feet of community space, which likely includes the park.
The nearest subways from the site are the 1, 2, and 3 trains at the 14th Street station along Seventh Avenue and the F, L, M, and PATH trains at the 14th Street station at Sixth Avenue.
The park’s anticipated completion date is slated for winter 2025, as noted on the newly installed info board.
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You’re missing a key piece of information – will this be open to the public, and if so under what terms? If the air rights from the lot are not being transferred to a development property, then there is no obligation for the church to allow the public in.
This is across the street from the Salvation Army building on West 14th Street which feeds the less fortunate who then need a place to eat which might end up being this park if it is opened publicly.
I see a homeless encampment with drugs and garbage. Keep the park private like Gramercy Park. Who will maintain the park
Insert Mormon joke here
Will there be any playard for children from the nearby community, and will it be private park for the community or public?.
Housing please. Wtf.