It consists of two contiguous projects which were originally separate but have been combined for administrative purposes: the John Lovejoy Elliott Houses, named after the founder of the Hudson Guild, has four 11- and 12-story buildings which accommodate over 1400 residents in 589 apartments.

Designed by William Lescaze, they were one of the first examples of high rise tower in the park style.

[3][5] The Chelsea Houses were designed by architect Paul L. Wood[6] and construction started in 1961 and completed on May 31, 1964.

[6] In 2012, NYCHA converted a parking lot in the development into a 168 unit building for low-to-middle-income households.

[10][11] PAU, COOKFOX Architects, and ILA were hired in early 2024 to design the Fulton Elliott-Chelsea Plan, which would involve converting 2,056 NYCHA apartments into mixed-income units.