Through cultural artworks such as Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel No. 2, Bob Dylan’s Sarah, Nico’s Chelsea Girls, Andy Warhol’s film of the same name that includes Nico’s song, or Patti Smith’s Chelsea Girls, we’ve all stayed at the Chelsea Hotel, but only in our heads. just kidsrecounting his time there with Robert Mapplethorpe. Connoisseurs of the work of everyone from Janis Joplin to Arthur C. Clarke, Milos Forman, Dylan Thomas and Mark Twain may not know that they enjoy an indirect connection to the New York institution that has stood on West 23rd Street since its construction in 1884.
At the time, the building was so tall that it towered over all the other apartment buildings in the city and even most other buildings in Manhattan. Today, however, the Chelsea Hotel (officially Hotel Chelsea) has a greater cultural profile than its physical counterpart.
Its reputation as a haven for artists dates back to Stanley Byrd, who took over the business from his father in 1964. The building itself and the surrounding area were already in a certain state of disrepair, and rents were kept low enough to attract creative people with no problem. Bird was generous enough to the artists that he eventually ended up more or less occupying Andy Warhol’s factory.
Chelsea’s most recent transformation began in the mid-2000s with a series of acquisitions and renovations that were not always welcomed by existing long-term residents. They really appreciated this hotel, which seemed to be immune to gentrification. in new architectural digest video aboveHere, current owner Sean McPherson takes you on a tour of the luxurious Chelsea of ​​the 2020s. All its spaces have been meticulously managed to evoke its storied past. At its bar (the cigarette burn marks have been carefully preserved), guests can order cocktails called Two Dylans, named in honor of both Bob and Thomas. In the basement you can choose from the largest selection of Japanese whiskies, in a new restaurant named after a former resident Teruko Yokoi. The bohemian experience of 1960s New York is now available to all of us, at least to those who can think of it. $500 per night.
If you’d like to revisit the hotel in its pre-restoration heyday, check out the 1981 documentary below. Catch a glimpse of Andy Warhol, William S. Burroughs, Nico, and more.
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Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages ​​and cultures. he is the author of the newsletter books about cities books as well Home page (I won’t summarize Korea) and korean newtro. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
