Plan Your Visit

Extend your Joyce experience to include some time in Chelsea, one of Manhattan’s most delightful neighborhoods. Chelsea stretches from 15th Street to 34th Street between the Hudson River and Sixth Avenue on Manhattan’s West Side. The area takes its name from an early 19th century house built by British Major Thomas Clarke, who named his home after the manor of Chelsea, London.

The original "Chelsea" house featured gardens that occupied a full block between Ninth and Tenth Avenues south of 23rd Street. In the mid-19th century, "Chelsea" was replaced by beautiful townhouses, many of which have been restored and are currently occupied. Formerly the Elgin Theater, a 1941 movie house that closed when it became a venue for pornographic movies, The Joyce underwent a major renovation before opening in 1982.

Immediately popular, The Joyce attracted people who were not only curious to see this elegant, intimate theater, but also were drawn to its "downtown" and international dance scene. The presence of the theater in Chelsea was instrumental in reviving the neighborhood that, today, attracts New Yorkers and tourists alike to its spacious art galleries housed in former warehouses, great shopping, trendy nightclubs, and lively and delicious restaurants.