Nabisco Building – Chelsea Market, New York City

Sep 13, 2012

Nabisco Building Chelsea Market 01

This is the first in a series of posts about the adaptive reuse of Nabisco buildings around the country. The quality of construction and the location of these properties make them ideal focal points for urban revitalization.

The National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) complex in what is now west Chelsea was begun in the 1890s. Nabisco made history here in 1912, with the introduction of the Oreo Cookie – the best-selling cookie in the U.S.

In 1913, Albert G. Zimmerman, the staff architect for the company, designed the most prominent building in the complex, the 11-story, full-block structure from 10th to 11 Avenues and 15th to 16th Streets. By 1931, the site was the world’s largest baking complex.

With the construction of the elevated High Line in 1934, the factory’s southwest corner was replaced with a 5-story shipping and manufacturing building, featuring a second-story connection to the New York Central Railroad (NYCRR).

Nabisco Building Chelsea Market Building Bridge

Louis Wirsching Jr., staff architect for National Biscuit in the 1930s, is said to have designed the faceted, aluminum-covered Art Deco pedestrian bridge connecting the two National Biscuit buildings facing each other across 10th Avenue.

In 1959, Nabisco sold the entire 22-structure, 2 million square foot complex. Over the years, the building, and the area slid into disuse and neglect.

Nabisco Building Chelsea Market NYC Highline

In 1995, the complex was transformed into the Chelsea Market, an urban interior mall housing offices and studios/office spaces on upper floors and a long arcade of food stores and gourmet shops on the ground floor. The elevated train tracks have been revitalized as part of the High Line Park. The tracks are now lined with vegetation creating a beautiful scenic walking path through Chelsea. On the weekends street vendors, events and activities set up, making it one of the “must see” places in NYC.

Today, Chelsea Market is a well-known destination in an area where million-dollar lofts are being created in this one-time-leftover factory district.  These improvements have been a huge transformation for this neighborhood, and we were able to watch it happen! U-Haul purchased a property in the heart of Chelsea in 1977 for Moving and Storage!

Chelsea Market and the High Line Park Today!
The once abandoned building and railroad is now Chelsea Market and the High Line Park Today!

Have you been to Chelsea Market? Or walked along the newly landscaped High Line? What do you think of these revitalization projects?  

Next up, we’ll take a look at the adaptive reuse of a Nabisco building in Pittsburgh and how it helps the revitalization of the surrounding community.

Read more about the current state of other Nabisco buildings.

~Pref

More articles like this one…

What’s New

U-Haul 2025 Midyear Migration Trends

U-Haul 2025 Midyear Migration Trends

Origins of One-Way U-Haul Customers Arriving in 35 U.S. Metros with 2M+ Populations This Year Summer is moving season, and odds are you have seen a U-Haul® truck being unloaded at a home near you. Or perhaps you were the one moving. With nearly half of all residential...

U-Haul Offers the Most Reliable and Road-Ready Trucks for DIY Movers

U-Haul Offers the Most Reliable and Road-Ready Trucks for DIY Movers

Moving can be one of life’s most stressful events. For do-it-yourself movers, dependability and peace of mind are essential. At U-Haul®, we have spent nearly 80 years building a reputation for reliable moving solutions. At the center of that promise is a commitment to...

U-Haul Embraces History at Ridgefield Fourth of July Parade

U-Haul Embraces History at Ridgefield Fourth of July Parade

Ridgefield’s tree-lined streets were filled with families waving American flags and applauding the iconic company that revolutionized the modern-day moving industry in their town 80 years ago. Located 22 miles north of Portland, Ore., the charming town known for being...

H2O Hero U-Haul Helps St. Vincent de Paul with Water Drive on ABC15

H2O Hero U-Haul Helps St. Vincent de Paul with Water Drive on ABC15

As the Arizona summer brings extreme temperatures, Phoenix-based nonprofit St. Vincent de Paul is ramping up their lifesaving water distribution by providing 4,400 bottles of water a day to at-risk persons seeking hydration and relief. This year, SVdP charity partner...

U-Haul Offers Disaster Relief to Central Illinois Storm Victims

U-Haul Offers Disaster Relief to Central Illinois Storm Victims

U-Haul® is extending 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box® container usage at six centers across central Illinois and western Indiana to residents affected by severe weather that hit the region. Storms packing high winds swept through several counties in...