The Chelsea Hotel – A Landmark By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photos: Getty Images
As you walk down the streets of the concrete jungle known as New York City, your eyes come upon a vast array of historical buildings climbing towards the clouds with intricate detail and design characteristic only to an era gone by.
One building holds a special appeal and many memories and is said to be filled with the spirit of those that called it home. The Chelsea Hotel is in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1884 and is located in the trendy area of Chelsea.
Not only is the Chelsea Hotel an iconic landmark, but it is also known for notable residents that took haven there such as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop and Larry Rivers. Mark Twain and Tennessee Williams called the hotel their home. The great film director, Stanley Kubrick and such renegade actors as Dennis Hopper and Ethan Hawke stayed for a bit. Uma Thurman, Elliot Gould and Jane Fonda stayed there as well.
Madonna lived at The Chelsea in the early 80’s, returning in 1992 to shoot photographs for her book, Sex, in room 822. Taylor Momsen’s band, The Pretty Reckless, did a photo shoot in the same room.
Sir Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey while staying at Chelsea and poets were known to take refuge to produce some of their best works. Writer Dylan Thomas was staying there when he died of pneumonia on November 9, 1953 and where Nancy Spungen, girlfriend of Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, was found stabbed to death on October 12, 1978. Charles R. Jackson, author of The Lost Weekend, committed suicide in his room on September 21, 1968. This gave way to the legend of ghosts haunting the building. They have been seen and heard by some and many know that the ghosts are longing for attention and acclaim.
What makes The Chelsea Hotel so different is the way that it was used. It is split between rental apartments and tiny hotel rooms where one could stay for the night or for the week. A handful of residents have been living there for over 30 years. It was an innovative concept carried out, with communal dining rooms, artists’ studios and a hospital clinic. It was the first cooperative to have a mix on every floor from expansive rooms for the rich to small rooms for aspiring artists and everyday working people. The hotel management gave their own touch of class to the building. They were sympathetic and kind and full of creativity themselves.
Marking an end to an era, recently in May of this year, the hotel was sold to mysterious real estate developer, Joseph Chetrit for $80 million. As of August 1, 2011, the storied hotel will no longer take guest reservations. There is concern as to what will happen to this historical landmark. The walls and stairwells were filled with art by the residents and now are mostly bare and cold. Staff that have been there for decades have now been released.
Chetrit has not returned media calls. Architect Gene Kaufman is in charge of renovations and confirms that it will remain a hotel. The goal is to preserve its classic appeal and to make the hotel safe and functional for its current residents.
Many are optimistic that Chetrit will hold the same deep appreciation for The Chelsea Hotel and revive it and keep it flourishing for eras to come.
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