Living with Legends

In answer to last week’s quiz: both the Hinckley Hilton and the Edison, New Jersey Benihana were designed by the architectural firm of William Tabler, who have now filed apermit application with the DOB to do $20,000 worth of work in the Capitol Fishing Tackle space.  Well, I guess it’s about damn time, as the storefront has sat empty for almost three years now. 
     Our question for Mr. Tabler is, for $20,000, do you really need the aggravation? After all we’ve seen your website. You can work anywhere in the world. We’re not even talking about the inevitable pressure from well-organized tenant activists or the daily scrutiny of the media. Look at who your bosses will be. Though I’m sure Marlene Krauss was on her best behavior for your meeting, she’s a psychotic harpy who will have you by the balls in no time flat.  Obviously you’ve not even met David Elder yet, or you would never have taken the job in the first place. 
     I guess you just neglected to do your research.  Call hoteliers Richard Born and Ira Drukier and ask them if Marlene has paid them the $425,000 she owes them yet.  Call author Piri Thomas and ask if he’s seen the $1.2 million that Elder owes him.  Ask the other Chelsea  Hotel shareholders if they’ve seen any of the increased profits that Marlene promised them for supporting the hostile takeover of the Hotel. 
            Perhaps you look at this relatively small job as a foot in the door, and think that eventually you’ll be hired to gut renovate the entire hotel.  But do you think Marlene is going to be able to get a mortgage to pay you in this economy?  There’s 40 or more outstanding lawsuits against the hotel!  Marlene didn’t mention those, did she?  I doubt that she mentioned that her prospects for obtaining a Certificate of No Harassment are rather remote as well, as Elder admitted in a DHCR hearing to hiring goons to assault a tenant.  Thank your lucky stars that you haven’t signed on for anything bigger.  — Ed Hamilton