History of the Building that Houses the
Chelsea Art Museum
The new Chelsea Art Museum (CAM) is located in the heart of Chelsea
at 556 West 22nd Street at 11th Avenue. The three-story, red brick
building — each floor 10,000 square feet — has large
windows with views of the Hudson River and abundant natural light.
An open glass staircase joins the gallery spaces. The complete renovation
of the building was planned and supervised by Alfredo Caraballude
and Michel Morris of the CMA Design Studio.
The building, erected in 1850, stands on a parcel of land that
was once owned by Clement Clarke Moore, renowned author of T’was
the Night Before Christmas. In 1915, the Church Temperance Society
leased the building as a rest home for longshoremen, many of whom
were Irish, Italian or German immigrants working the foreign commerce
lines on the Chelsea piers. Longshoremen waiting for shape-ups (work
calls) spent hours out doors in all kinds of weather. The only alternative
was the saloon. The Rest offered them reading materials, games and
light refreshment, provided the men respected the rights of others.
A description of the building at the time reported, "Often
more than a hundred of the denizens of the waterfront can be seen
at one time, reading, sitting about in groups playing games, or
formed into circles outside the groups, following the play with
words of encouragement or derision" (The Longshoremen by Charles
B. Barnes, published by the Russell Sage Foundation).
Prior to its recent renovation The Chelsea Art Museum housed a
factory for Christmas ornaments.
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