Longing for the days of celebrity sightings, illicit drugs and carnal pleasure in the heart of New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood? Turns out the historic Hotel Chelsea—a previous magnet for painters, actors, dancers, novelists, playwrights and musicians and a whole lot of debauchery—is opening its doors again after a rough decade of contentious renovation, developer turnover, countless lawsuits, a stop-work order and a pandemic. Current ownership took a “gentle and…respectable” approach to the restoration filling the lobby with the artwork of current and former tenants. There will be a new lounge with a brass-railed bar, a grand piano, as well as an updated version of the Spanish-themed restaurant El-Quijote that’s been “tuned up” a bit.
The hotel will be a blend of 155 rentable rooms and more than 40 permanent residents, who have been “allowed” to remain because ownership likes “the mix” of guests and full-time residents (i.e., owners could not get around NYC’s rent stabilization rules). Described by one famous resident as a place “haunted by dark creative forces” but also a place with “romanticism,” we look forward to what the next century has in store for the Chelsea. Don’t let us down.
Cheshes, Jay. “How the Historic Hotel Chelsea Has Kept Its New York Cool.” The Wall Street Journal, 26 Apr. 2022, www.wsj.com/articles/hotel-chelsea-new-york-11650976217?mod=hp_listc_pos1.
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