Work is complete on a $3.8 million open space transformation at NYCHA’s Harborview Terrace Houses at 525 and 530 West 55th Street in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. Designed by Grain Collective and funded by The Pershing Square Foundation, the project delivered more than 33,000 square feet of redesigned outdoor space across the 377-unit residential campus. Work built on a 20,000-square-foot campus improvement completed in 2023 and was developed through Grain Collective’s Connected Communities framework, which emphasizes resident-led planning and design.
The property is located between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.
Harborview Terrace, Landscape Architecture by Grain Collective, photography by Tameek Williams.
The second phase introduces a new intergenerational plaza on the north side of the campus featuring water play elements, seating, planting areas, a pyramidal climbing structure, and a flexible lawn with stepped seating and a stage for community events. The project also includes a renovated outdoor fitness area with accessible equipment, along with the revitalization of a previously underused side yard adjacent to the older adult center, creating new recreational and gathering space for senior residents.
On the south side of the campus, the existing community garden was expanded with additional planters and seating, while new murals by artist Laura Alvarez were installed throughout the property with funding from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi.
Harborview Terrace, Landscape Architecture by Grain Collective, photography by Tameek Williams.
Phase two’s design was shaped through multiple rounds of community engagement, including Family Day workshops where residents voted on playground equipment, fitness amenities, and color palettes, as well as immersive virtual reality presentations that allowed participants to experience proposed designs before construction. Grain Collective said the process placed residents at the center of decision making from the earliest planning stages through project completion.
Work was completed in 16 months through a public-private partnership that bypassed the traditional city capital budget and procurement process, significantly shortening the timeline compared to typical NYCHA open space renovations.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
Be the first to comment on "Harborview Terrace Houses Completes Open Space Transformation at 525-530 West 55th Street In Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan"