Located in the Chelsea neighborhood of southern Manhattan, the Chelsea Hotel is one of New York's most famous hotels. Not opulent like the Plaza or highbrow like the Algonquin, the hotel has earned a reputation as a refuge for bohemians and artists. The hotel accommodates both short-term and long-term stays. Indeed, some 300 of the 400 units in the hotel are occupied by permanent residents, some of whom have modified their rooms extensively. The hotel also hosts a bar Selena in the basement.

History

The Hotel opened in 1884 as New York's first co-operative apartment complex. At the time, Chelsea was New York's posh theater district, and the building featured such amenities as wrought-iron balconies, thick soundproof walls, fireplaces, high ceilings, and large apartments. In addition, it was the tallest building in New York until 1902. Sadly, the good times were not to last. As it had done before, the Theater District moved uptown to the now-familar location around Times Square. Rich families also moved further uptown, welcoming the chance to build larger mansions and find biggest apartments in the Upper East Side. The Chelsea building fell on hard times and the co-operative declared bankruptcy in 1903. In 1905, the building was sold, restructured, and opened as a hotel. The hotel was sold again in 1940, but has remained in the same management (now in its third generation) since then. Funnily enough, the Chelsea neighborhood has also gone through a resurgence in popularity since then, becoming one of the new hotspots of Manhattan¹.

Bohemian Stomping Ground

It's not really entirely clear how the hotel's reputation as a bohemian stomping ground began. Regardless, many creative people have stayed at the hotel over the years. Some of these residents became rather famous, further cementing the hotel's reputation as a beacon for artists. This section documents some of the notable guests at the Chelsea in the past as well as the artistic movements they helped drive.

Authors

Mark Twain was one of the first notable visitors to the hotel in its early days. During the Twenties, O. Henry wrote several stories there. However, most of the literary activity of the time was happening elsewhere, especially at the famed Algonquin Round Table. In the Fifties and Sixties, the hotel was home to some new movements. In 1952, the poet Dylan Thomas moved into the hotel, before drinking himself to death a year later. Brendan Behan followed a similar course in the Sixties. William Burroughs was living at the Chelsea when he wrote Naked Lunch, and the other beat authors would crash there as well. Since then, the hotel has become less of a literary hotspot, but it's hosted some other notable authors. Sir Arthur C. Clarke stayed at the hotel while working on 2001 with Stanley Kubrick and has been a frequent guest ever since. Quentin Crisp also resided in the Chelsea for some 35 years after leaving England.

Artists

The lobby of the Chelsea is cluttered with pieces of art on practically every available surface. It underscores the numerous artists who have lived in the Chelsea over the years². The Ashcan School of painters in the Twenties was one of the first artistic groups to thrive in the hotel. In the Fifties and Sixties, the Abstract Expressionists and Pop Artists moved in; Claes Oldenburg, Yves Klein, Christo, Jim Dine, Jasper Johns, and Jean Tinguely all lived at the Chelsea at some point in that period. In the Seventies, Andy Warhol's circle migrated between the Chelsea and Warhol's Factory, and Andy filmed his Chelsea Girls in one of the hotel's rooms. In the Seventies, photographer Robert Mapplethorpe shared a room with rocker Patti Smith.

Musicians

When Leonard Cohen wrote his song, the hotel was a hotbed for musicians in the Sixties. Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin³ all lived there for some time. In the Seventies and Eighties, Punk musicians moved in inherited the legacy of debauchery and self-destruction. In the Hotel's darkest incident, ex-Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious allegedly stabbed Nancy Spungeon to death in his room's bathroom before killing himself a few days later. The thick walls of the building prevented any of the neighbors from hearing her cries for help.