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The Chelsea Hotel's Proposed New Look

[caption id="attachment_43913" align="aligncenter" width="607" caption="The Chelsea's ironwork balconies and neon sign are 23rd Street trademarks"][/caption]

Chelsea, NY is known for a lot of things: being a world capital for gay life; being home to some of New York's biggest celebrities and artists; and of course, being a center for some serious drama. One of the biggest hot topics in the neighborhood is the fate of its most important building, the Hotel Chelsea (or Chelsea Hotel – turns out either one is right!). Built in the late 19th century, the building has been both a hotel and a coop residence, housing long- and short-term visitors of all stripes. And over the last few years, the drama around the hotel has reached a fever pitch.

[caption id="attachment_43914" align="alignleft" width="216" caption="The hotel's lobby, filled with artwork by residents"][/caption]

The building was for sale for several years, and everyone from Andre Balazs to Ian Schrager kicked the tires while considering a purchase. On 23rd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, the Chelsea is set on some prime real estate that's impossible to replicate. It's also got its share of challenges: long-term tenants who refuse to leave, an artistic history that needs to be respected and, let's face it, some oooooold-fashioned interiors.

In August of 2011, the building was bought for $77.8 million; the new owners promptly fired most of the staff, stopped accepting guests and removed the tenants' artwork from the lobby. Art's always been at the heart of the hotel – visitors like Frida Kahlo and Jasper Johns displayed their work here in communal spaces. According to current residents, artwork belonging to some of them was loaded into a van and taken away, as though it was the property of the new hotel owners.

[caption id="attachment_43915" align="alignright" width="216" caption="A rendering of the hotel post-renovations"][/caption]

Interior demolition began on the hotel in the fall, and though the building has long been a landmark, the interiors are apparently not protected. Architect Gene Kaufman is promising a restoration of interior spaces, reconfiguring guestrooms of different sizes. Last week, a rendering of the proposed exterior was published by The Real Deal, with promises made to maintain the building's most famous features, like the ironwork balconies and neon signs. However, that hasn't done much to quell fears: A drawing is really just a drawing, and time will tell what's in store for the Bohemian masterpiece.

It truly is hard to overstate the Chelsea's influence on 20th-century culture, and any list of notables who've lived there can go on and on (confession: when strolling down 23rd Street, we're fairly fond of rattling off names, whether accurate or not). The list goes on and on – it really does – but some heavy hitters include Mark Twain, William S. Burroughs, Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal, Sartre, Jack Kerouac, Stanley Kubrick, Jane Fonda, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith, Madonna and Bob Dylan. (Fun fact: Patti Smith had planned on hosting a concert to benefit the hotel's residents, but canceled when they complained the only one benefiting would be the new owners). You'd be hard pressed to find a building in the country that's played host to more famous and culturally relevant people, except perhaps for the White House – and that may be a stretch.

And for those looking to see how it all turns out for the Chelsea, the hotel should be ready to accept new guests later in the year.

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