In 1986, Thomas Balsley Associates was asked by the Chelsea Waterside Park Association to translate this community’s vision for a waterfront park into a design document that would be used to plan the new Route 9-A and the proposed Hudson River Park. Ten years later, when funding for the Chelsea Waterside Park was identified, Thomas Balsley Associates won an invited design competition and the 2.5-acre park was completed in the fall of 2000. Chelsea Waterside Park became a cherished community space and the first jewel in the Hudson River Park “necklace.”
The design takes into account Chelsea’s multiple open space and recreational needs and its diverse community. All are expressed in a contemporary design language of curving forms and color that is balanced with lush plantings and historically derived rugged stone detailing for walls and pavements.
Today, the park is home to round-the-clock activity, lawns and green spaces for passive uses like sunning and picnicking, multi-purpose sports fields and court games, shade structures, an interactive water play area, Chelsea’s only public horticultural displays, elevated sunset overlook, food concession structure with restrooms and cafe terrace, and a “state of the art” adventure dog run.
Aitken Place Park
Aitken Place Park will be at the heart of Toronto’s East Bayfront Community – currently being transformed from an underutilized industrial brownfield into a vibrant waterfront neighborhood. Flanked by the residential development to the west and the commercial buildings to the north, the park’s water’s edge location presents a unique opportunity to create...
Courthouse Park
Directly across the Hudson River from Lower Manhattan, Jersey City is an important growth hub for new housing. As it has grown denser, transportation options have improved in tandem. But one of its most central and densely developed neighborhoods, Journal Square, has lacked a central public space for years.
Located on a 3.4-acre site one block from the ...
Gate City Osaki
“I do sculpture as it relates to my designs, and as the sculpture emerges from the designs it becomes collaborative. This is gratifying because the sculpture is very much in keeping with the overall landscaping concept. It is not an afterthought,” writes Tom Balsley. Here we see the full integration of his sculptural expression in the overall landscape design ...
33 Beekman
33 Beekman Street Plaza is a public plaza that also serves as the front entrance to a new 30-story Pace University Dormitory, located in the financial district. The contemporary plaza appearance synchronizes with the contemporary plaza of Frank Gehry’s high-rise residential tower across Beekman Street to South.