Video of the Day: Hotel Chelsea Residents Speak Out

On Monday we visited the Hotel Chelsea to speak with Stanley Bard and some of the residents, and to get a little tour of the place before it turns into a shell of its former self. The long-time residents of the hotel are, along with Stanley, the lifeblood of the building. Upon visiting, what we already knew became even more apparent: if "new management" tampered with the residents, the hotel would change just as drastically as if they tampered with the appearance.

Our conversation with Stanley is here, and below is more from the inside (including a dizzying minute of what it looks like to walk from the roof to the ground floor down the hotel's art-drenched stairwell)...

In the video you meet Debbie and Ed, both have lived there for twelve years (the rent? $1500/month) and run the unofficial hotel blog, Living with Legends. Being the eyes and ears they've uncovered things that "new management" may be trying to sweep under the carpets, most recently that David Elder is not only trying to screw over the Hotel Chelsea population, but also his family.

Related: The Village Voice also stopped by the hotel recently.

Camerawork by Kelly Loudenberg.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Carlson in Arts & Entertainment, Miscellaneous on July 19, 2007 12:44 PM

Comments [rss]

Marble Polishing Weston

Great read!

guest

Matty, $1500 for a one room apartment with a shared bathroom and no kitchen. I don't live there, but I've seen it.

New York is just a suburb of White Plains now, but with a lot more thuggish intellects per square mile than White Plains.

guest

No cheap rent at the Chelsea, first guest, as we residents have told you repeatedly over on the Chelsea Hotel blog. It's been market rate or ABOVE market rate for some years except for a few holdouts in rent-stabilized rooms. Sorry to know you're so unhappy with your life you have to imagine the Chelsea reisdents are getting a free ride. The only people getting a free ride out of the Chelsea Hotel are the two minority shareholders who are heirs of the original partners and who recently ousted Stanley Bard. They never did a damned thing for the place, the artists, or the work the people created. They very rarely stepped into the place.

guest

15 - nobody is "originally" from manhattan. get over yourself too.

Actually, I was born here. So were my parents, grandparents and some of my great-grandparents.

I'm feelin' pretty 'originally from here.'

guest

Gothamist has done an excellent job covering all the Chelsea Hotel stuff. Far more interesting than this week's Voice piece.

guest

15 - nobody is "originally" from manhattan. get over yourself too.

matty

"6 - Maybe you'd like it better back in Madison? or Skokie? Feel free ... please."

hahah...someone here is not from new york...and that person is #7

and 1500 bucks to live in manhattan totally awesome.

guest

I'd hit it.

guest

She's kinda MILFY.

Nick S

Saying a certain attitude "represents what's wrong with NYC today" represents what's wrong with NYC today.

guest

#4/#7 represent whatis wrong with NYC today

guest

It's pretty damn awful watching one of the greatest cities in the world turn into something that has all the excitement and culture of a new shopping mall.

Gregoire

Um, Tim is right 100%. New York is known for its cultural institutions, not its bland condominiums and Olive Gardens.

guest

Actually, I'd say White Plains has more character than Manhattan at the moment.

guest

#6 - Maybe you'd like it better back in Madison? or Skokie? Feel free ... please.

guest

"vibrant"????

r u f*cking kidding me?

its as "vibrant" as White Plains

chris

#4 I think Tim is referring to the fact that many cultural institutions that for some define the city are closing and being replaced by things like condos.

but my question is, how do you see the city as being stronger and more vibrant than in the last 70 years?