Hotel Chelsea Blog
For those of you who didn’t guess the answer to our quiz question on Wednesday here is another hint. The gentrified and suburbanized Chelsea neighborhood already has an Olive Garden and an Outback Steakhouse. It’s high time we had a Benihana’s as well. And maybe we’ll get a Red Lobster in the El Quixote space. Viva Suburbia!
Pictured below is the results of Chelsea Hotel minority shareholder's Krauss and Elder's ongoing campaign to squelch free speech at the Chelsea. DOB has issued a violation to the Hotel because the "Bring Back Stanley Bard" sign was attached to the balcony, which they're calling a fire escape. Tenant activist Arthur Nash has this to say about the latest development:
"Even as minority stakeholder David Elder was embracing free speech with a self-serving blurb published in Chelsea Now, he continued to dole out disdain for those whose expressions are, appropriately enough, afforded the most protection under the law — in this instance, pro-Bard Family tenants who do (and will continue to) oppose his hostile takeover of the Chelsea Hotel. In the past, Elder dealt with what he considers unpopular speech not inside the courtroom but by retaliating with violent thugs who he clandestinely paid in cash, and by initiating retaliatory complaints with DOB that wrecked the rooftop gardens and caused our balconies –aka fire escapes– to be rendered barren in time for spring. In spite of this harassment David Elder may be entitled to thanks for his most recent complaint which, while equally bogus and being selectively enforced, will permit the Bard Banner campaign to keep evolving, perhaps into NEON."
Yeah, it really looks like that sign was blocking the fire escape! And besides, excuse me for being cynical but does anyone really believe that Kruass and Elder care whether or not Arthur is injured in a fire!
The signs in chronological order from 2007 – 2009:
The sign is no longer attached to Arthur Nash's terrace railing but it's still displayed!
What do the Washington Hilton, the place where Hinckley shot Reagan, and the Chelsea Hotel have in common? Care to hazard a guess? Hint: it doesn’t have anything to do with Sid and Nancy, and it only came about recently. Stay tuned to the blog for the answer.
The first redesign of the Chelsea Hotel website was undertaken during the misbegotten reign of Richard Born and Ira Drukier. Besides being poorly written and edited, the BD site removed all mention of the Bard family’s role in managing the hotel for nearly 70 years. Now it’s hard to tell who oversaw this most recent redesign since Marlene Krauss is refusing to hire a manager for the Hotel, but the tradition of denying the Bard family legacy remains firmly in place. ( Nice photo of the Hotel on the splash page by the way. This takes the campaign to erase the Bard legacy a step further than even BD, who at least had enough concern for the truth to include the Bring Back the Bards signs in their picture.)
One of our favorite new sections of the redesigned site is called “The Chelsea.” As you can see, the site still needs an editor. (Oh, and it also needs somebody who knows how to tell a joke!) Gee, anybody wonder why Jerry Weinstein is the only person on staff who can speak intelligently about the history of the Hotel? Could it have anything to do with the firing of Stanley and David Bard?
Although Chelsesas Hotel minority shareholder Marlene Krauss is a high-powered businesswoman who routinely crushes ordinary mortals beneath her 6-inch Manolo Blahniks and makes grown men weep and grovel before her on their knees, we know that her one big regret in life is that she missed the cut for Charlie’s Angels back in the seventies.
But don’t start feeling sorry for her yet. NBC is now casting for a new prime time show staring victims of Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme! It’s Marlene’s big chance. With her timeless beauty, her winning personality, and her questionable financial sense, she’s a shoe-in.
Best of all, she doesn’t have to do anything to be considered. Anyone can nominate a candidate for the show, and we intend to do so immediately. Others can nominate Marlene as well, perhaps strengthening her chances, by writing to TonyCastEast@gmail.com. Do your part for the Chelsea, Bohemians. Help make Marlene a star.– Ed Hamilton
New York Real Estate Legend Dan Peckham’s Appelate Court case
against his landlord, Larry Tauber, was decided May 5, and, in a blow against
tenants everywhere, Peckham lost (Peckham v. Calogero). Later that day Tauber sent Peckham an e-mail
message that said, “Tick-tock,” hinting that Peckham’s days in his rent
stabilized apartment were numbered; Tauber also forwarded his lawyer's BBWG's e-mail
to Tauber that gloatingly said, “WE WON!”
In other words: Hooray! We get to throw an elderly, disabled man whom we’ve harassed for five years out into the street!
Their mothers must be beaming with pride. I don’t know what’s going to happen to
Peckham now, but most likely Tauber will step up efforts to evict him. Hopefully Peckham has legal recourse. He relies on pro-bono legal representation,
and is presently without a lawyer. We
are hoping that a competent, dedicated lawyer will quickly step forward to
represent Peckham, and keep the wolf from his door.
To bring you up to speed on this case: Tauber
is seeking to gut renovate Peckham’s building which is in the Chelesa neighborhood.
The Department of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) granted him the
permits to demolish the building (which he began to do, with Peckham still in
it!), but then realized its mistake. The
Appellate Court said, basically, that the DHCR couldn’t change its mind about
the definition of “demolition” in Tauber’s case after it had already decided
that he met the criteria.
(This is actually somewhat reasonable, as
allowing city agencies to change the rules after they have already granted
permits could lead to all sorts of abuses.
It’s just that in Tauber’s case—an instance of the so called “phony
demolition”—the permits shouldn’t have been granted in the first place, and any
reason to revoke them would seem justified.)
This affects other cases around the city in
which the DHCR has already made a decision to grant permits for this kind of
phony demolition. Fortunately, the DHCR
can still change their definition of “demolition” for future cases. We urge them to do so, and immediately close
this dangerous loophole.
Enduring untold stress and harassment,
Peckham has been the lone holdout in his building for five years, costing Tauber hundreds of
thousands of dollars in lost rent revenues and legal fees, and making greedy
landlords everywhere think twice about trying to cheat legitimate rent
stabilized tenants out of their rights.
In addition to fighting his own case, Dan has devoted his time and
expertise to aid other Tauber tenants in need, and as such he remains a hero
and an example for all of us of what a courageous, dedicated activist can
accomplish. We need more Dan Peckhams in
this City. – Ed Hamilton
Gerald Busby, a friend of composer Virgil Thomson, recently checked out Wallace Norman's new play, "Oh Virgil: A Theatrical Portrait." Busby had this to say about the play, "For anyone who already knows Virgil Thomson’s music and his life at the Chelsea Hotel, this production will be deeply satisfying. For those who don’t know his music, it will reveal an American genius who mastered the art of merging instinct and intellect in the simplest musical terms – you think you’ve heard this before, but suddenly you realize it’s a completely new context for the most familiar and intimate experiences of your life." You can read the full review at theaterscene.net.
"Oh Virgil: A Theatrical Portrait" stars VICTOR TRURO and runs through May 10 at The Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South, NY NY
Actor Mark L. Young was in town last week for the premier of “Happiness Runs” which was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. Young who appeared in “Happiness Runs,” “O.C.,” “ER,” “Sex Drive,” and “Big Love” among other things was very curious about Bob Dylan’s room and wanted to check it out. Young gave us a copy of Nylon magazine which focused on stars of the next generation and Young was included in the article. Perhaps in a few years Young will be so successful that he’ll return to help the Bring Back the Bards campaign. We hope that the Chelsea is as big an inspiration to Young as it has been to us and countless other creative people throughout its 125 year history. In the picture Mark stands beside the Chelsea’s latest acquisition ,a painting by Nadia Bertrand, who you might remember was at the Chelsea for an extended stay which ended a couple of weeks ago. We’d tell you what room it’s in but we don’t want people to be building shrines.
For those of you who didn’t know that Robby from the Pita Hut was a major talent, check out this hot video from the Rev. Billy Talen for Mayor campaign. Go Robby!
Living with Legends 