Saturday night was, by all indications, the last night that the Chelsea Hotel on West 23rd Street would be open to guests, though the duration of the closing, the first in its history, was unknown, writes NY Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/nyreg ... n&emc=ura1
I remember it well..
Re: I remember it well..
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/nyreg ... sq=Chelsea Hotel&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=all
A Last Night Among the Spirits at the Chelsea Hotel
By CARA BUCKLEY Published: July 31, 2011
Her head was shaved on both sides, her Mohawk bleached and dyed blond and blue. As she leaned over the front desk of the Chelsea Hotel on Saturday night, her lower lip pierced with a ring and her Doc Martens tapping the floor, Kitty Ramona, a bass player from Baltimore, was every bit the nostalgic punk girl seeking refuge in a place dripping with history and on the verge of being swallowed by time.
Saturday night was, by all indications, the last night that the Chelsea Hotel on West 23rd Street would be open to guests, though the duration of the closing, the first in its history, was unknown.
The building is to be sold for over $80 million to the developer Joseph Chetrit, though the deal had not closed as of Sunday, according to someone close to the matter, who asked not to be named because the negotiations were confidential. Extensive renovations are expected to take at least a year. The hotel’s 100 permanent residents will be allowed to stay, but they have been told nothing beyond what the startled hotel workers learned late last week: that all reservations after Saturday were canceled.
“Where are all the punk kids? Maybe they don’t know,” said Ms. Ramona, an adrenaline-fueled, self-described “forever teenager” (in her early 30s) who had booked a room, hopped in her car and gunned it to New York City as soon as she heard the news. For a decade, Ms. Ramona has journeyed to the hotel several times a year, drawn by two of its famous guests from decades past. “Sid Vicious in caps, and Dee Dee Ramone,” she said. “If I could be anywhere tonight, this is the place to be.”
Mr. Chetrit, who did not return calls for comment, is said to want to keep the Chelsea as a hotel, but the plans are unclear. The building, a looming Queen Anne that opened as a co-op in 1884, is landmarked.
Gene Kaufman, an architect hired to oversee the renovations, said the plumbing, ventilation and electrical systems and the lobby all had to be overhauled, but added that much of the hotel’s original charm, including the wrought-iron interior stairwell and the art, would be preserved. “People should not be nervous about that,” he said.
But residents are nervous. The hotel has been owned by the same families since World War II. Scott Griffin, head of the tenants’ association, said he believed that the goal of the hotel’s two controlling shareholders was not to maximize profits but to empty the building.
“This is one of the greatest cases of corporate mismanagement,” Mr. Griffin said. Several shareholders, among them Marlene Krauss, the target of much resident vilification, either did not return messages or declined to comment.
Part of the allure of the Chelsea, beyond the creepy yet tantalizing feeling that the place is thick with spirits, is that from the inside looking out, New York can still feel gritty. Its cavelike hallways are lined with paintings, striking collages and old electrical wiring caked with innumerable coats of paint. A palpable heaviness lingers, especially in the first-floor room where Nancy Spungen was staying with her boyfriend, Sid Vicious, when she was stabbed to death in 1978. Artists, photographers, composers and producers still live there, making the place part art colony, part living museum.
Residents say the hotel’s character shifted irrevocably after its lionized former manager and part-owner, Stanley Bard, was ousted by the hotel’s board of directors four years ago. Mr. Bard had acted as curator, deciding who got to stay and how much would be paid, and overseeing the hotel during the days when the likes of Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen and Robert Crumb roamed its halls. Residents said the hotel’s occupancy and room rates had suffered since Mr. Bard’s departure, with celebrities and artists replaced by budget tourists.
But most tenants lamented the departure of the guests. “It’s kind of fun to have this influx of people, even if you’re making fun of them,” said Meli Pennington, a makeup artist who has lived at the Chelsea with her husband for 16 years.
On Saturday, though, apart from crestfallen guests whose stays had been abruptly cut short, the goings-on at the Chelsea were, by its standards, relatively standard.
Wide-eyed tourists snapped photos of the lobby as residents swept past them without a glance. Steve Johnson, 29, visiting from North Carolina with his cousin, sat in the lobby gravely recounting the time he said he was approached in his room by a ghost. Gabriel Marchisio, a Uruguayan tarot card reader and hotel fixture, lingered by the front desk dispatching, for the heck of it, his signature “muah ha ha ha” monster laugh.
Shortly before dusk, police officers rushed in and up to the ninth floor. A guest had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend and called his mother to tell her he wanted to kill himself; his mother called the police, who in turn escorted the man to Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric ward. “Never a dull moment,” a front-desk clerk said.
In the rooms above, people partied, prowled and slept. Hip-hop blared from Sid and Nancy’s old room. Hotel guests held earnest, drunken conversations from the balconies overlooking West 23rd Street. Ms. Ramona combed the halls with her camera. Tony Notarberardino, a photographer who has lived at the Chelsea for 17 years, hosted an “end of an era” party in an attempt to cheer everyone up. He scattered white rose petals near the entryway of his sixth-floor apartment, which is choked with chandeliers, beaded lamps, red walls and gilt-edged mirrors and feels like a speakeasy crossed with an opium den. “Let’s celebrate what we had,” he said, “and embrace change.”
Sometime before dawn, someone drove a fist through a swinging door on the first floor, leaving a wide penumbra of shattered glass. A worker discovered it in the morning.
“Already,” he said sadly, “they’re destroying the place.”
A Last Night Among the Spirits at the Chelsea Hotel
By CARA BUCKLEY Published: July 31, 2011
Her head was shaved on both sides, her Mohawk bleached and dyed blond and blue. As she leaned over the front desk of the Chelsea Hotel on Saturday night, her lower lip pierced with a ring and her Doc Martens tapping the floor, Kitty Ramona, a bass player from Baltimore, was every bit the nostalgic punk girl seeking refuge in a place dripping with history and on the verge of being swallowed by time.
Saturday night was, by all indications, the last night that the Chelsea Hotel on West 23rd Street would be open to guests, though the duration of the closing, the first in its history, was unknown.
The building is to be sold for over $80 million to the developer Joseph Chetrit, though the deal had not closed as of Sunday, according to someone close to the matter, who asked not to be named because the negotiations were confidential. Extensive renovations are expected to take at least a year. The hotel’s 100 permanent residents will be allowed to stay, but they have been told nothing beyond what the startled hotel workers learned late last week: that all reservations after Saturday were canceled.
“Where are all the punk kids? Maybe they don’t know,” said Ms. Ramona, an adrenaline-fueled, self-described “forever teenager” (in her early 30s) who had booked a room, hopped in her car and gunned it to New York City as soon as she heard the news. For a decade, Ms. Ramona has journeyed to the hotel several times a year, drawn by two of its famous guests from decades past. “Sid Vicious in caps, and Dee Dee Ramone,” she said. “If I could be anywhere tonight, this is the place to be.”
Mr. Chetrit, who did not return calls for comment, is said to want to keep the Chelsea as a hotel, but the plans are unclear. The building, a looming Queen Anne that opened as a co-op in 1884, is landmarked.
Gene Kaufman, an architect hired to oversee the renovations, said the plumbing, ventilation and electrical systems and the lobby all had to be overhauled, but added that much of the hotel’s original charm, including the wrought-iron interior stairwell and the art, would be preserved. “People should not be nervous about that,” he said.
But residents are nervous. The hotel has been owned by the same families since World War II. Scott Griffin, head of the tenants’ association, said he believed that the goal of the hotel’s two controlling shareholders was not to maximize profits but to empty the building.
“This is one of the greatest cases of corporate mismanagement,” Mr. Griffin said. Several shareholders, among them Marlene Krauss, the target of much resident vilification, either did not return messages or declined to comment.
Part of the allure of the Chelsea, beyond the creepy yet tantalizing feeling that the place is thick with spirits, is that from the inside looking out, New York can still feel gritty. Its cavelike hallways are lined with paintings, striking collages and old electrical wiring caked with innumerable coats of paint. A palpable heaviness lingers, especially in the first-floor room where Nancy Spungen was staying with her boyfriend, Sid Vicious, when she was stabbed to death in 1978. Artists, photographers, composers and producers still live there, making the place part art colony, part living museum.
Residents say the hotel’s character shifted irrevocably after its lionized former manager and part-owner, Stanley Bard, was ousted by the hotel’s board of directors four years ago. Mr. Bard had acted as curator, deciding who got to stay and how much would be paid, and overseeing the hotel during the days when the likes of Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen and Robert Crumb roamed its halls. Residents said the hotel’s occupancy and room rates had suffered since Mr. Bard’s departure, with celebrities and artists replaced by budget tourists.
But most tenants lamented the departure of the guests. “It’s kind of fun to have this influx of people, even if you’re making fun of them,” said Meli Pennington, a makeup artist who has lived at the Chelsea with her husband for 16 years.
On Saturday, though, apart from crestfallen guests whose stays had been abruptly cut short, the goings-on at the Chelsea were, by its standards, relatively standard.
Wide-eyed tourists snapped photos of the lobby as residents swept past them without a glance. Steve Johnson, 29, visiting from North Carolina with his cousin, sat in the lobby gravely recounting the time he said he was approached in his room by a ghost. Gabriel Marchisio, a Uruguayan tarot card reader and hotel fixture, lingered by the front desk dispatching, for the heck of it, his signature “muah ha ha ha” monster laugh.
Shortly before dusk, police officers rushed in and up to the ninth floor. A guest had gotten into a fight with his girlfriend and called his mother to tell her he wanted to kill himself; his mother called the police, who in turn escorted the man to Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric ward. “Never a dull moment,” a front-desk clerk said.
In the rooms above, people partied, prowled and slept. Hip-hop blared from Sid and Nancy’s old room. Hotel guests held earnest, drunken conversations from the balconies overlooking West 23rd Street. Ms. Ramona combed the halls with her camera. Tony Notarberardino, a photographer who has lived at the Chelsea for 17 years, hosted an “end of an era” party in an attempt to cheer everyone up. He scattered white rose petals near the entryway of his sixth-floor apartment, which is choked with chandeliers, beaded lamps, red walls and gilt-edged mirrors and feels like a speakeasy crossed with an opium den. “Let’s celebrate what we had,” he said, “and embrace change.”
Sometime before dawn, someone drove a fist through a swinging door on the first floor, leaving a wide penumbra of shattered glass. A worker discovered it in the morning.
“Already,” he said sadly, “they’re destroying the place.”
Re: I remember it well..
How terribly sad.
On Saturday, I said to my husband that for our upcoming anniversary that I would like to book the same room that LC stayed in when he was here for the Columbus concert. George said, "I thought you were going to say that you wanted to stay in LC's room at the Chelsea. Why don't we do that Mary?" (I know - bizarre - another one for your CPD list Dr.HGuy/Allan
) Yes, George suggested the Chelsea.
I get online on Sunday to try to book a room at the Chelsea, and I keep getting 'no availability' for the dates you've chosen. I keep changing dates and keep getting the same message. So, earlier today, I call the hotel. After many rings, someone finally picks up the phone with a 'hello'. I asked if this was the Chelsea and received an affirmative reply. I asked for reservations, was put on hold, finally got a 'can I help you?', I asked to book a room, on hold again - after 9 minutes, a person who was able to give me an explanation.
I was told the hotel was being sold, closing being today, they were not accepting any reservations at this point per the buyer's wishes, but, I was told to call back on Thursday to see if they would then take reservations
I will call back on the faintest glimmer of hope that I can book his room before who knows what. Keeping my fingers crossed.
On Saturday, I said to my husband that for our upcoming anniversary that I would like to book the same room that LC stayed in when he was here for the Columbus concert. George said, "I thought you were going to say that you wanted to stay in LC's room at the Chelsea. Why don't we do that Mary?" (I know - bizarre - another one for your CPD list Dr.HGuy/Allan
) Yes, George suggested the Chelsea. I get online on Sunday to try to book a room at the Chelsea, and I keep getting 'no availability' for the dates you've chosen. I keep changing dates and keep getting the same message. So, earlier today, I call the hotel. After many rings, someone finally picks up the phone with a 'hello'. I asked if this was the Chelsea and received an affirmative reply. I asked for reservations, was put on hold, finally got a 'can I help you?', I asked to book a room, on hold again - after 9 minutes, a person who was able to give me an explanation.
I was told the hotel was being sold, closing being today, they were not accepting any reservations at this point per the buyer's wishes, but, I was told to call back on Thursday to see if they would then take reservations
I will call back on the faintest glimmer of hope that I can book his room before who knows what. Keeping my fingers crossed.
1993 Detroit 2008 Kitchener June 2-Hamilton June 3 & 4-Vienna Sept 24 & 25-London RAH Nov 17 2009 NYC Feb 19-Grand Prairie Apr 3-Phoenix Apr 5-Columbia May 11-Red Rocks Jun 4-Barcelona Sept 21-Columbus Oct 27-Las Vegas Nov 12-San Jose Nov 13 2010 Sligo Jul 31 & Aug 1-LV Dec 10 & 11 2012 Paris Sept 30-London Dec 11-Boston Dec 16 2013 Louisville Mar 30-Amsterdam Sept 20
Re: I remember it well..
Certainly hope you get your room Mary. Keep us informed please.
Hope you and George will somehow celebrate in NYC either way, and if you do, Linda and I would love to buy you a drink .... as long as we don't shoot for 4 in the morning like your last visit!
Hope you and George will somehow celebrate in NYC either way, and if you do, Linda and I would love to buy you a drink .... as long as we don't shoot for 4 in the morning like your last visit!
Re: I remember it well..
I have also been following the news of the Chelsea Hotel closely and Gina and I are so very dissapointed and shocked.
We were hoping for a last minute miracle,but it now seems unlikely.
We stayed there twice in the past couple of years,one being for the Plaque ceremony for LC.
Memories may be all we have now,at least we got to stay there twice and capture some of the magic.
Keith.
We were hoping for a last minute miracle,but it now seems unlikely.
We stayed there twice in the past couple of years,one being for the Plaque ceremony for LC.
Memories may be all we have now,at least we got to stay there twice and capture some of the magic.
Keith.
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sebmelmoth2003
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radio 4 - musical tribute to chelsea hotel
tuesday's front row on bbc radio 4 ended with a musical tribute to the chelsea - including a brief excerpt from a song by leonard unless i'm mistaken.
haven't got my headphones with me so hope i've got the day right - it's the final couple of minutes of the programme.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012wjd9
haven't got my headphones with me so hope i've got the day right - it's the final couple of minutes of the programme.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b012wjd9
Re: I remember it well..
Called back today as I was told to do. I was told the property has been sold, it's final. The hotel is closed for renovations and they are not taking any reservations until the renovations are complete. They expect the renovations to take approximately one and a half years. Hope renovations mean that they will be preserving the historical significance of this hotel.
1993 Detroit 2008 Kitchener June 2-Hamilton June 3 & 4-Vienna Sept 24 & 25-London RAH Nov 17 2009 NYC Feb 19-Grand Prairie Apr 3-Phoenix Apr 5-Columbia May 11-Red Rocks Jun 4-Barcelona Sept 21-Columbus Oct 27-Las Vegas Nov 12-San Jose Nov 13 2010 Sligo Jul 31 & Aug 1-LV Dec 10 & 11 2012 Paris Sept 30-London Dec 11-Boston Dec 16 2013 Louisville Mar 30-Amsterdam Sept 20
Re: I remember it well..
Again, hope you and George may still visit NYC soon Mary. Nothing new n this, but the local free paper in Chelsea ran this confirmation:
MIDTOWN — Bohemian hopes have been dashed by an $80 million deal that will sell the Hotel Chelsea to developer Joseph Chetrit, the Real Deal reported.
The legendary building at 222 W. 23rd St. has become a memorial to the neighborhood's past as an artist's haven, with a list of residents including Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Janis Joplin.
Despite rumors that the hotel was closing for reservations over the weekend, die-hard fans and longtime residents still held out hope that the sale would fall through.
It didn't.
It was finalized on Monday at 5:30 p.m, brokered by Eastdil Secured’s Douglas Harmon, the Real Deal reported.
Chetrit's plans are not clear. However, according to the New York Observer, the building will eventually return to its function as a hotel — albeit with a different design. Gene Kaufman, an architect who often works on chain hotels, has been brought in for the redesign.
The Chelsea first opened in 1884 as apartments and became a hotel in 1905. Since that time, the hotel website claims, it was “the birthplace of creative modern art and the home of bad behavior.”
In 1953, former tenant Dylan Thomas died of alcohol poisoning there, and famous resident, Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, is rumored to have stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death there in 1978.
While long-term residents remain, the hotel has closed for reservations to prepare for the upcoming renovations.
Management of the Hotel Chelsea did not return calls for comment.
MIDTOWN — Bohemian hopes have been dashed by an $80 million deal that will sell the Hotel Chelsea to developer Joseph Chetrit, the Real Deal reported.
The legendary building at 222 W. 23rd St. has become a memorial to the neighborhood's past as an artist's haven, with a list of residents including Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Janis Joplin.
Despite rumors that the hotel was closing for reservations over the weekend, die-hard fans and longtime residents still held out hope that the sale would fall through.
It didn't.
It was finalized on Monday at 5:30 p.m, brokered by Eastdil Secured’s Douglas Harmon, the Real Deal reported.
Chetrit's plans are not clear. However, according to the New York Observer, the building will eventually return to its function as a hotel — albeit with a different design. Gene Kaufman, an architect who often works on chain hotels, has been brought in for the redesign.
The Chelsea first opened in 1884 as apartments and became a hotel in 1905. Since that time, the hotel website claims, it was “the birthplace of creative modern art and the home of bad behavior.”
In 1953, former tenant Dylan Thomas died of alcohol poisoning there, and famous resident, Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, is rumored to have stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death there in 1978.
While long-term residents remain, the hotel has closed for reservations to prepare for the upcoming renovations.
Management of the Hotel Chelsea did not return calls for comment.
Re: I remember it well..
Alas, not NYC. Thank you so much for the offer. We would have loved to have drinks with you and Linda. Sometime soon we hope.dick wrote:Again, hope you and George may still visit NYC soon Mary.
We will now turn our attention to staying in the room occupied by LC while he was in Columbus. Don't know how that will work out either. When I call and reserve, asking for the said room, they could give us any room they desire, saying it was the room LC stayed in, and we would never know the difference
Although I know nothing of Gene Kaufman, this does not sound promisingdick wrote:Chetrit's plans are not clear. However, according to the New York Observer, the building will eventually return to its function as a hotel — albeit with a different design. Gene Kaufman, an architect who often works on chain hotels, has been brought in for the redesign.
1993 Detroit 2008 Kitchener June 2-Hamilton June 3 & 4-Vienna Sept 24 & 25-London RAH Nov 17 2009 NYC Feb 19-Grand Prairie Apr 3-Phoenix Apr 5-Columbia May 11-Red Rocks Jun 4-Barcelona Sept 21-Columbus Oct 27-Las Vegas Nov 12-San Jose Nov 13 2010 Sligo Jul 31 & Aug 1-LV Dec 10 & 11 2012 Paris Sept 30-London Dec 11-Boston Dec 16 2013 Louisville Mar 30-Amsterdam Sept 20
Re: I remember it well..
Best wishes on the Columbus room.
Have a Happy Anniversary!
Have a Happy Anniversary!