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  • Multi-Million Dollar Personal Injury Lawsuit Results From Management Response to Art Show Protests

            Tenant Activist Arthur Nash, the victim of unrelenting harassment by management due to his BBBBanners BBBBanners support of the Bard family, is fighting back with a multi-million dollar personal injury lawsuit. 
           Everyone remembers last summer’s highly divisive art show in the Chelsea ’s grand ballroom, co-BBBBanners1 sponsored by minority shareholder David Elder.  Briefly, because he had the balls to protest Elder’s feeble attempt to portray himself as a patron of the arts, Nash was assaulted by huge security goons—not once, but twice!—on Elder’s direct orders. 
         As we’ve reported earlier, Nash has an ongoing harassment case at the DHCR, which we feel he is sure to win since reportedly Elder admitted in the hearing to ordering the assaults (and paying for it off the books!), but for now the case is tied up in bureaucratic limbo.  Unfortunately, this delay has given management creeps a feeling of invincibility, leading to further instances of harassment against Nash.    
         Though we don’t know too many details of the lawsuit at this point, we can say that it names not only certain officers of the 23rd Street Corp., but others who participated in events surrounding the art show as well. — Ed Hamilton (Photos   via myspace.com/bringbackthebards.)
     
    Arthurambush 
    Arthur Nash being confronted by two men hired by David Elder. According to Nash, they were trying to force him into the back stairwell.
    The next day, according to Nash, after he retrieved his mail from behind the front desk, he was barred from entering the elevator and menaced by the guy pictured below. After returning to his room to get his camera—he had been instructed by his lawyer to document all confrontations—Nash attempted to take the guard’s picture.  In response, the guard tried to wrench the camera away from Nash and then grabbed him in a bear hug and body slammed him against the front desk, smashing the camera (and Nash’s hand) against the counter repeatedly until the batteries flew out.  The guard continued to wrestle with Nash as Nash tried to use the house phone to call the police.  A resident who had witnessed the altercation corroborated Nash’s story.        
      Secondassault  

     

  • Art Group Mistakenly Believes it is Fighting Recession

    The upcoming art show in the old Capitol Fishing Tackle storefront is being sponsored by a group called “No Longer Empty” which has the laudable goal of addressing two problems caused by the recession: empty retail spaces and the collapse of the art market.  What they don’t seem to realize is that the Stevesobczukimage Capitol space was not emptied by the recession, but by the greed of the very people now in charge of the hotel, Marlene Krauss and David Elder, who pressured Stanley Bard to more than double Capitol’s rent.  This happened three years ago, during the boom, and the space is still empty, though not because of the recession, but because Krauss and Elder want it empty in order to increase the value of the building so they can sell it.  Reportedly, they have turned down offers from two prospective tenants.

    The “No Longer Empty” group doesn’t know much about the history of the building, which is obvious from their press release.  They think the storefront next to Capitol (which they will also be using) contained a Tattoo Parlor.  Actually, it was an Acupuncture Shop called Chelsea Healing, and it too was forced out by Krauss and Elder raising its rent through the roof. (Please note, Dylan Thomas did not die at the Hotel. And, I’ve never heard the hotel referred to as the “birthplace of punk”.  Do they mean "the death of a punk?")

         Both Capitol Fishing Tackle and Chelsea Healing are alive and well at new locations—hardly victims of the recession!  Hey “No Longer Empty,” if you’re worried about spaces such as these being emptied, perhaps you should be fighting against economic booms, or better yet, if you’re really concerned about the Chelsea Hotel, against Krauss and Elder.  – Ed Hamilton  (Photo: Steve Sobczuk,Capitol Fishing Tackle 1967)

  • Hotel Chelsea Concierge Newsletter Available Online And In The Lobby

    Helpful hints and interesting trivia courtesy of the Hotel Chelsea Concierge Newsletter. Updated weekly!
    Conceriegenewsletter1 copy

  • SPIN – CONTROLS – R – US

    Oh, so now according to the Chelsea Hotel official website Nadia donated the painting to the Hotel.  (Does this mean the Hotel is back to being a non-profit organization?) I see!  So sorry for the misunderstanding!  Heads up Elder, when you try to do spin control don't link to the offending truthful story.

    Nadiadonation 

    Related Coverage:
    Mark L. Young Stops by the Chelsea
    Good News for Chelsea Hotel Painters 
    Did David Elder Play Chelsea Now?

  • Arthur Nash’s BBB Banner Rejected From Art Show at Capitol Fishing Tackle

    Well, the worst has finally happened: though it had hung in one form or another for two years, tenant activist Arthur Nash’s BRING BACK THE BARDS banner was removed from the hotel’s façade at approximately 8:45 this morning. Kinda-sorta manager Arnold Tamasar did the honors in person, as a police officer and a security guard stood by. 
         Obviously, this was not a police matter, but rather a matter for the city agencies and the courts. The Smashfreespeech cop’s explanation for allowing the sign’s removal was that only the owners of a buiding are allowed to hang signs on the façade of the building. This is open to debate, and in fact it was being discussed with various city agencies. The cop further stated that, since Arthur didn’t have a door to the balcony (like many residents, he climbs through his window), he was not allowed go onto the balcony at all. We believe that the police officer exceeded his authority in aiding the hotel management in their suppression of Nash’s first amendment rights.
         The timing of the hotel’s move against Nash, as well as the (former) location of the banner, are significant. On the weekend of June 18, the hotel, in conjunction with No Longer Empty, is planning an art show (featuring mostly outside artists) in the former Capitol Fishing Tackle storefront. Nash’s sign was positioned on the second floor almost directly above the storefront. Obviously it would be a huge embarrassment to the hotel management to have to explain what the sign meant to everyone attending the event.
         We believe this to be an illegal infringement on Nash’s first amendment rights. Plain and simple, this is intimidation and harassment meant to stifle all dissenting voices, and as such represents the end of free speech at the Chelsea—if indeed any pretense of it remained after the ouster of the Bards.

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  • Did David Elder “PLAY” Chelsea Now?

    Check out the excellent and hilarious story in Chelsea Now’s Buzz column this week (not yet online), wherein tenant activist Arthur Nash alleges that artist Nadia Bertrand “played” the newspaper by claiming that Sid minority shareholder David Elder gave her a month’s free rent in exchange for two paintings. We have a bit to add to the story ourselves: Nadia first came to us with the claim back in April at the Film Anthology Archives screening of Doris Chase’s Chelsea Hotel.  We immediately smelled a rat, because we figured there’s no way Elder would be so much of a bonehead when that’s one of the things that he and Marlene accused  Stanley Bard of doing in the hostile takeover maneuver.  That’s why we didn’t report the story.

         We’ve since come to believe that Elder probably was that stupid—although surely he would have told Nadia not go blabbing to the press about it, hence his surprise when Chelsea Now showed up at the art show.  Perhaps it was a rogue Nadia playing the paper for her own publicity purposes.

         Whether the story was a plant or not, we think this is going to come back to bite Elder on the ass again and again.  Most likely Marlene didn’t know about it and has already chewed him out.  And the artists who have lived here for years and never had this kind of break aren’t too happy that an outsider was shown such favoritism.

             On Thursday, we ran into Elder in the elevator and asked him if he would accept a sketch on the back of our rent receipt in lieu of rent.  “No, that won’t be possible,” he said.  And that appears to be the last word on the matter—at least for now. — Ed Hamilton

  • “TALLY BROWN: NEW YORK”

    Rosa Von Praunheim, the director of "TALLY BROWN, NEW YORK," is in town. He will be showing his film at the Anthology Archives this Saturday, June   6th.  Former Chelsea Hotel resident Ching ho Cheng is in this film.

    TALLY BROWN was a bohemian artist and underground star living in New York. She starred in some ANDY WARHOL films and was a student friend of LEONARD BERNSTEIN. Her interpretation of "Lady grinning soul" by DAVID BOWIE from his album ALLADIN SANE is taken from the soundtrack of the wonderful portrait documentary film TALLY BROWN NEW YORK by german director ROSA VON PRAUNHEIM. (Video via Hanko)

  • Expect Delays: 2 of 3 Elevators Out-of-Order

    Must not be any guests in the hotel.  How else to explain the decision to take two elevators off-line for Chelseahotelelevator repairs on the same day!  Obviously the needs of the staff — how are they supposed to do their jobs? — and the permanent residents don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy new order.  And when was the last time something like this got fixed in one day?  Please, pleasantly surprise us.

  • Artists Worldwide: Stand By The Bards

    An open letter to the artists planning to participate in the June 18 show in the former Capitol Fishing Tackle storefront at the Chelsea Hotel:

    Allsignsbringbackthebards Although some of you may not know this, the Capitol Fishing Tackle is Manhattan’s oldest bait & tackle shop, and had called the Chelsea Hotel home since 1954.  Sadly, in August of 2006 the shop was given a rent increase of more than double its previous rent and forced to move from the Hotel.  The increase came as the direct result of pressure brought to bear by minority shareholders Marlene Krauss and David Elder on then manager Stanley Bard.     

    The move did not buy Stanley much time. On June 18, 2007 the Bard family, majority owners of the Chelsea Hotel, were forced from their management role in a hostile takeover  by Krauss and Elder, eager to cash in on the short term profits promised by the superheated  real estate climate of the day.

    It was a sad day for artists and friends of the arts worldwide.  The Bard family had managed the hotel since 1942, including almost 50 years by the inimitable Stanley, who is known and loved by several generations of artists who have called the Chelsea Hotel home.  Stanley’s son, David, was scheduled to take over the reins of the hotel, until he too was unjustly ousted.

    The reason that you, fellow artists,  know of the Chelsea Hotel and it’s important role in the arts is because of the hard work of the Bard family.  The Bards provided inexpensive housing and a supportive environment for people in the arts for over 60 years.  They played host to the Beats and action painters of the 50s, the Warhol crowd of the 60s, and the punk rockers of the 80s, among countless others.

    Krauss and Elder, on the other hand, have made clear that their intention is to evict the permanent tenants and transform the Chelsea into a boutique tourist hotel.  They are not admitting any more permanent residents into the hotel, thus ending a tradition that had endured for almost 125 years.

    Because Krauss and Elder have been stymied in their eviction and renovation plans by legal action, the work of dedicated tenant activists, and the downturn in the economy, they are now trying to create good press by posing as “patrons of the arts”.  But they threw out the true patrons of the arts.

     

    All of you are stellar artists.  However,  please note the date of the proposed Krauss and Elder sponsored show in the Capitol Fishing Tackle space, for it is in no way random.  You are being invited to participate in a celebration of the two-year anniversary of Krauss and Elder’s hostile takeover.  In keeping with your personal and artistic integrity, we ask that you not participate in this sham.

  • The Conspiracy of Beards: A Leonard Cohen Cover Band

    The Conspiracy Of Beards, a men's choir from San Francisco who sing the songs of Leonard Cohen, sing "Chelsea Hotel #2" on the PATH train from New Jersey to New York, until the conductor orders the videographer to put the camera away.