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Bob Dylan’s Room Desecrated by Corporate Vandals

In case anyone wondered what we were talking about in our previous post about the Chelsea Hotel management falsifying construction permits, this should clarify matters. The pictures below were taken Bobdylanchelseahotel on Tuesday, after construction began in Bob Dylan's old room at the Chelsea Hotel (#211), where he lived in the 60s, writing "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands," and so many other great songs from his Blond on Blond album. As you can see, the room, which prior to Tuesday's vandalism, looked much as it did when Dylan lived there, has been completely trashed. In addition to not having the required Certificate of Non-Harassment the illegally obtained permits are only for bathroom and kitched renovation. Obviously, much more than that is going on. Significantly, workers have torn down a wall with sledgehammers, exceeding the mandate of their permits. — Ed Hamilton  (Unsourced photo of Bob Dylan at the Chelsea Hotel) Chelsea Illegal Renovation 211 (Thanks to a tipster for sending over the photos of the destruction.)


Chelsea Illegal GUT Dylan's Apt 2 

Chelsea Illegal Renovation 211 

Chelsea Illegal Renovation 211 b 

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28 responses to “Bob Dylan’s Room Desecrated by Corporate Vandals”

  1. The Ghosts Avatar
    The Ghosts

    Surely Stanley and David Bard can sue them over this. They are committing illegal acts and that should void their management of the hotel. These pictures say it all. In spite of their lip service to preserving the history of the hotel, they are out to destroy that history in pursuit of dirty profit. Shame on Marlene Krauss, David Elder, and Andrew Tilley. They are greedy and soulless scumbags. I weep for what is lost.

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  2. eric Avatar
    eric

    Wow, you should just get a life and mover on. I really doubt Bob would even care.

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  3. Room Service Avatar
    Room Service

    What I find sad is that while management thinks its going to profit by this, the real revenues will continue to be guests who came to appreciate the unvarnished version of the Chelsea, an authentic version miles apart from what other Hotels have to offer. That will never change. The moment it does the Hotel will surely meet the wrecking ball because there are far more modern buildings that could occupy the space. The Chelsea was once NYC’s tallest building, in the future who knows? We’ve seen it a million times. Many guests will not be satisfied with what we see happening in these pics because the ‘renovations’ destroy a tangible part of what they were inspired by and that led them to experience the Chelsea, and that keeps them coming back.

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  4. The Rise and Fall of the Chelsea Hotel Avatar
    The Rise and Fall of the Chelsea Hotel

    eric, a lot of people care that the only place of tis kind in the world is being systematically destroyed.You should too.

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  5. one Avatar
    one

    If everyone here is complaining about this, why don’t you just get together and buy the place. Stop whining about corporate greed and take care of it yourself.

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  6. Flack Avatar
    Flack

    The point really isn’t whether “Bob” would care or not. ‘Eric’ must think residents and non residents alike are protesting against this demolition because they hope Dylan will come play a charity concert on the roof or something. Probably not. They care because the Hotel Chelsea and its residents are part of the rich cultural history of New York City. If you still say “who cares” then why are you even spending time reading the Blog? Makes one wonder.

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  7. Real Estate 101 Avatar
    Real Estate 101

    For ‘One’, a property would have to be ‘for sale’ before it could be purchased. There are capable parties both in and around the Hotel Chelsea who could do exactly what you suggest, fear not. Its just that…well, the Hotel isn’t on the market so it kind of makes the suggestion pointless. We’ll work on preserving the Chelsea’s history both inside and out. You concentrate on making snide comments and we’ll see who comes out ahead in the end.

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  8. Sherill Tippins Avatar
    Sherill Tippins

    Is that one of the original 1880s fireplaces in the third photograph? Did they just smash it apart??

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  9. Hi Sherill Avatar
    Hi Sherill

    The fireplace is demolished. Just a hole now. Working on getting ‘before’ photos

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  10. Real Estate 201 Avatar
    Real Estate 201

    everything has its price, and today it is much lower then it was a year ago (to the tune of 40%- 50% many are saying.) if you can get the money together don’t let the fact that “the property is not on the market” stop you. The Chrysler Building was not on the market when the government of Abu Dhabi bought a 90% stake in it for $800 million in July.
    the bigger issue is that there is no financing available, esp not for a deal like this. but if you guys can raise a substantial amount of money, more power to you, i would make the minority share holders an offer. worse that happens is that they say no.

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  11. Late Arrival Avatar
    Late Arrival

    I always thought it would be cool to visit NYC and stay in Bob Dylan’s apartment. Now my sole option will be to stay in the apartment that occupies the space that Dylan’s apartment once did. Not really what I had in mind. Ah well…

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  12. FW Avatar
    FW

    We spotted a FOX 5 News Van out in front of the Chelsea Hotel today shooting a story. Not exactly sure what the story is going to be about, But you might want to alert the blog that FOX 5 News will be airing the story about the Chelsea Hotel on their 10PM Broadcast on December 4th. I just saw the 6 PM newscast and they ran a “teaser” for the story.

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  13. easy target Avatar
    easy target

    The NY Post gives some coverage on the appalling decision to destroy this room and the lack of permits. Guess Marlene’s PR firm got canned too as there seems to be no one able to spin doctor the press about Elder and Krauss.
    Hoping this can result in a court decision to remove Elder and Krauss as they are devaluing the building and are making decisions that are irreversible.

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  14. Old & Crappy Avatar
    Old & Crappy

    Dear Easy Target,
    There is no way to spin doctor Krauss & Elder. They are what they are!

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  15. Patrick Zimmerman (disembedded) Avatar
    Patrick Zimmerman (disembedded)

    Hi Ed,
    Thanks much for citing the Dylan photograph that I have posted on my blog. However, your readers might find many more in another article that I wrote about Dylan on my blog. Readers can view that article here:
    Et Cetera: Publick and Privat Curiosities:

    All I Can Do is Be Me: Bob Dylan’s Times in “I’m Not There”


    With my very best wishes,
    Patrick Z.

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  16. J.R. Fox Avatar
    J.R. Fox

    Oh Where Have You Been My Blue Eyed Son
    He wore James Dean’s coat of red
    A scarf around his neck
    Drove his motorcycle down the road
    Then took lay lady lay to bed
    He went knockin’ on heavens door
    Became tangled up in blue
    Stayed for a spell at the Chelsea Hotel
    We called him a genius others labeled him a boor
    The times they are a changin’
    Look around these words hold true
    Wars, rivers a ragin’
    Sang sad eyed lady of the lowlands for me and you
    Today they say he is out of time
    All washed up past his prime
    Lost his rhythm got too old
    Might even consider him fools gold
    Somewhere a spotlight will shine upon the stage
    Somewhere a singer will play his tunes
    Someday they will discover amazing things
    Dylan’s work buried deep beneath the dunes

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  17. James .R. Fox Avatar
    James .R. Fox

    The poet is in the alley
    Bob Dylan is indeed the poet in the alley
    Strumming his guitar tellin’ us his views
    Recitin’ the news
    Enfolding melodies
    Like a velvety draped muse
    He is the rhymer of reason
    A year of four seasons
    Who takes the time to explain
    Examine the facts, retrace the steps
    Amid the deluge
    Of loss and of pain
    A wayward minstrel
    Who wants everyone to hear
    Come listen to the message
    From a once younger
    Now so much older, balladeer
    Some carry a lot of trouble
    Down the road of dust and rubble
    Others wake at the break of noon
    Me, I’ll just keep on a listenin’
    Showin’ less expression
    But always a whistlin’
    One of my favorite Dylan tunes

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  18. Sister Sledgehammer Avatar
    Sister Sledgehammer

    Just looked at the DOB site and the update is a
    STOP WORK ORDER!
    What a lot of dumbass shit. They could have picked a room other than Bob Dylan’s to demolish, no? I saw the spot on Fox, must have aired before the SWO was issued.

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  19. Har-de-har-assment Avatar
    Har-de-har-assment

    I know the Hotel called the Police on a tenant for asking them a few questions [on camera] about the illegal demolition going on inside Dylan’s apartment. When the cops showed, management told the officers they possessed all the legal permits and that the demo work would continue.
    Now theres a Stop Work Order issued by the City proving they lied to the NYPD about the permits. They really look extra stupid filing complaints against tenants for wanting to preserve the Hotel from their fly by night wrecking crews….

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  20. Avatar
    Anonymous

    What great lyrics!
    And a shame whats become of an abode so central to the Chelsea’s myth and mystery.

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  21. Bowery Bummed Avatar
    Bowery Bummed

    This is at least the equivalent of CBGB’s being ripped out and replaced with a boutique filled with ‘cool’ garbage. Dylan’s place could have stayed put. Now isn’t Robert DeNiro spending gazillions to recreate the creaky floor feel? Here the real thing. Its being layed to waste. I doubt Dylan would have an opinon about this, but as someone who shares a global affinity for the Chelsea Hotel, my opinion is its a real loss.

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  22. slim tim Avatar
    slim tim

    nostalgia is all very well, and corporate greed is a vile thing, but i wonder how many of you actually stayed at the chelsea? it was once popular with the ‘bohemian’ crowd precisely because it was a cheap, and sleazy, flophouse with poor sanitation and even poorer decor. frankly it was a real dump. but it was an inexpensive dump!

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  23. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Uh, slim tim, most of us either live or have lived/stayed at the hotel. I personally stayed in the 1980s, 90s and into the new century. It was never a “dump,” with poor sanitation! Where did this begin? What an insult to the hard-working staff. As for decor, the rooms were mostly blank canvasses and tenants had the freedom to decorate them as they pleased.

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  24. Dim Tim Avatar
    Dim Tim

    re: “a cheap, and sleazy, flophouse with poor sanitation and even poorer decor…”
    Tim – Sounds like your Chelsea experiences are pretty ‘Slim’. I doubt you yourself have spent any time at the Hotel b/c you’ve already bought into every hackneyed rumor – the kind of rumors that residents themselves spread to stave off those who they know won’t connect with the place. You know, like yourself. This is why San Franciscans tell outsiders how bad the weather is – so they’ll abandon any aspirations of moving there and crowding everybody’s style.

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  25. Avatar
    Anonymous

    what ‘nostalgia’? this is our country’s cultural heritage we’re talking about and somebody, at least, disagrees with “slim tim” since they made the chelsea a national landmark years and year ago.
    if the chelsea is a dump (which it certainly isn’t) then at least its OUR dump; its not for everyone. but the chelsea hasn’t ever been as inhabitable as “slim tim” exaggerates from things he’s heard third-hand, read in some book, or just plain imagined.

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  26. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Wow, Anonymous has a good point, Slim Tim. Your comment is an insult to the staff that maintains the Hotel Chelsea, some of whom have been working here for nearly thirty years. They bust their butts now and they always have. Its never been a ‘dump’ ~ no way!

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  27. kris b Avatar
    kris b

    My god, this is truly depressing news.
    Is this the beginning of further demolition?
    If I was out to change the chelsea and destroy the hopes of it’s historical appreciaters and residents i’d start with this room too.
    Makes no sense at the end of the day.

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  28. Greed Sucks Avatar
    Greed Sucks

    Permits or no permits, anyone who lays so much as a Phillips head screwdriver on the Chelsea should treat it like the acknowledged cultural landmark that it is. This shows such tremendous disrespect that it takes my breath away to see these pictures.
    Just because the rooms are not officially landmarked doesn’t mean that they’re not treasures! Do you think the luminaries come to the Chelsea Hotel because they want to experience the brick facade? No way. Tear up the interior and there is nothing left.

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