"Hey, why is the wood floor squeaking in this room I’m paying $1500.00 a night for?" "You dumbass, we designed it like that so it would seem old!" Thus does mind triumph over matter at DeNiro’s new Greenwich Hotel, and developers everywhere are paying attention. Take note that BD Hotels is DeNiro’s partner in this venture. "Why is the hinge on this cabinet in my million dollar condo broken?" "It’s supposed to remind you of an old railroad flat from the 50s." "Why is the bathroom tile cracked and yellowed?" "It’s like one of those very cool ticky-tack houses in a cool town, like Woody Guthrie sang about." "How come the walls are so thin that I can hear my neighbors talking?" "It’s like living in a shantytown in Tompkins Square Park in the 80’s. Doesn’t it make you nostalgic?"
Sorry, but I don’t want the floor buckling underfoot when I get up to take a piss in the middle of the night. Did you artifically splinter some of the boards as well? Are these nails sticking up for that little extra touch of realism? Shoddy materials are a bitch, but no reason we can’t put a good face on things. — Ed Hamilton
Living with Legends
Hotel Chelsea Blog
17 responses to “PR Triumphs Over Reality at DeNiro’s Greenwich Hotel”
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Only Ed Hamilton can spin this positive piece into negative press for BD. Ed, did you ever think that maybe, just maybe these guys know what they’re doing??
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How High Can Walentas Go In Cobble Hill?
Cobble Hill: Whether Dave Walentas gets to build ten feet higher than the limit in the historic district here is no trivial matter. [Curbed]
Eas…LikeLike
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um, the evidence so far here at the hotel not only shows that bd not know what its doing, it has its head up its ass. a phony squeak, built in? brilliant! no problem destroying history you can just recreate it in a new building disney style. my floors squeak with authenticty, the squeak created by decades of writers artists travelling salesmen pacing the floor. or by lovers in bouncing beds. a fake squeak wont do.
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Ed, you wont be able to afford to stay at this place, so no need to worry about the floor buckling under your feet.
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Alright Ed, I’m with NoName on this one. You are getting worked up on the word of an anonymous “project insider” about squeaky floors in Greenwich? Yes, those BD guys really are the Devil! How about an interview with some of the Hotel’s new faces so we can get to know them? How about interviews with the artists of the hotel so you can get their point of view on this whole mess. Maybe everyone here isn’t as full of hatred for the “crew of kids” as you and LP’s gang of “Chelseaites.”
How about a post about the “artists” who strategically sued Stanley Bard to delay eviction proceedings. Maybe some of the responsibility for the fall of the house of Bard lies with those noble bohemians who talk about their rent stabilized apartments like it was owed to them, and talk about the hotel like they are the only ones who get it.
You talk about residents leaving being a, “a blow to the integrity of the building” but did you ever think that this whole us against them thing was a factor in the changing atmosphere of the Chelsea? We used to be more or less all in it together; now we’re Chelsea Residents and Chelseaites, For New Management or Against, on BD’s payroll or Brave Speakers of Truth to Power.
Short of handing back control to Stanley Bard, there is nothing BD can do to be your good graces. True or False?LikeLike
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quite right. some things can’t be faked. unlike bd’s management chops. there is a rumor that they are actually using stanley to pressure tenants into paying back rent. didn’t they say they wanted to run this place? they are using stanley as some kind of shill to cloak their incompetence.
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Concerning Robert Deniro’s Greenwich Hotel project, I especially love the quote from Robert Tierney, ‘the commission’s ‘chair person’, who was particularly pleased with the incorporation of manhole covers along the cornice of the building. “It’s a nice touch,” he said. “It’s incredibly interesting.”
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BD could have made an attempt to maintain the spirit of the place. BD could have made an effort to speak to residents right away about what the place means. BD could have genuinely acknowledged the role of the hotel in world culture. BD could have taken the stick out of its rump and been more relaxed and personable. BD could have treated the old staff better and not hired a nincompoop like GT. BD could have done a lot of things. It’s clear what they and their overlords intended to do all along. Cowboy, as someone who benefitted from Stanley’s good heart, why are you sticking up for the impersonal corporate management firm? Does the slow death of this institution not break your heart?
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Krauss and Elder caused the battle the minute they informed Stanley he was out after 50 years of hard work on behalf of the hotel and its residents, Cowboy. BD has gone out of its way to make things worse It was right to stand up for Stanley. It still is.
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Most of the people employed by BD to work at the Chelsea are fine folks, I’m sure. They are young and they’ll gain some experience and move on and go work at the Bowery Hotel or wherever. That’s simply not the same as having one family working in this Hotel since the 1940s. On the other hand, some of the people employed by BD have in their previous positions specialized in moving people out of residential hotels.
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cowboy never responds when you point out that he, too, has benefited from his association with the bards.
he should pretend for a moment that there was no stanley bard and no david bard, and then try to envision walking in this place and finding a branch to light on in exchange for oil on canvas.
wouldn’t happen. and it may never happen again.LikeLike
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Here we go again.
Let’s get something straight people: I love the Bards and I do realize that they were responsible for me getting a place here.
That being said I don’t think that we have to use every lame story as another excuse to point out how bad new management is ESPECIALLY when no one takes the time to point out what good things they have done. The plumbing was terrible above the 8th floor – they fixed it, the sign was painted and looks much better, the bathrooms are clean regularly. I know it’s not Ed’s responsibility to point out these things nor will I hold my breath for Slammin’ Ed to respond to the comments – but to constantly attack BD Hotels, Elder, or Marlene Kraus at some point sounds childish rather than constructive and does the opposite for the cause.
One Mans Opinion: It does break my heart but my broken heart isn’t going to change anything, nor will calling the new employees “kids,” or posting death threats to David Elder, or bashing New Management at every turn reverse the course. What really breaks my heart is all the energy that is devoted by certain people into hating BD Hotels, their employees, and anyone who says anything to the contrary of the Hate New Management talking points.
LP: I’m not debating standing up for Stanley. By all means stand up for Stanley Bard but you can support the Bards without being unnecessarily malicious to New Management.
NoName(10.22.07/4:21): Never respond? Well I just did.There is a trend on this blog to see everyone who calls BS on Ed’s reactionary postings as shills for New management, as if it’s somehow alright to give BD a hard time just because they aren’t the Bards. Well that’s just wrong and we shouldn’t do that here. We should see ourselves as stewards to the Chelsea not angst-ridden children rebelling against “the man.”
PS Oh, and before I forget, those dastardly BD guys are at it again. Check out the new website Hotelchelsea.com Let me be the first to say, Well done!LikeLike
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Cowboy, not all the plumbing above the 8th floor was bad. You are using the same tactics to defend BD that you decry in those against them. It really is a difference in point of view, of experience at the hotel and maybe too level of love for the hotel as it was, and for the Bard family. Fixing up some things can’t compare to what the Bards created and fostered there. You care much for the material, but many of us care more for the experiential, the soul of the place. We would trade excellent flush for the chance to live amongst the rare residents living or dead of the outlaw hotel. BD can put a nice face on things, but at what cost, the price paid is the spirit, the family, and the creativity of this place.
That said, I am not a big fan of the new sign. I loved the old one. And as for the squeaky board story, that’s a legitimate point Ed has made. It speaks to attitude towards history and the real.LikeLike
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oh Cowboy, the world is full of sterile building with good plumbing and shiny signs. The Chelsea was special for other reasons, and rare.
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I looked at the new website. It’s nice but as i read through i thought, how dare they use tributes and testimonials about the hotel during the Bards’ tenure to promote their version of the Chelsea! they were so critical of stanley’s hotel but here they are feeding off his legacy and riding on his coattails. and they did nothing much to create the hotel theyre now selling. i don’t care what anyone says. BD shouldnt be there, and i don’t have to like them,
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Cowboy, why don’t you blog for BD on the new website. You can be the corporate blogger!
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i’ve never noticed bad plumbing up here in the upper berths…
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