Living with Legends

There are at least two new security guards in the building, apparently hired in retaliation to an ongoing harassment suit being brought by a resident against David Elder.  (It may also have had to do with Sunday’s Page Six Magazine article on the hotel in which many residents openly called for the return of the Bards.)  I saw one of the guards standing by the desk yesterday when I went out in the afternoon, and then Debbie and I saw him by the door when we went out last night.  Dressed in black pants and a white shirt, he’s medium height, slightly portly, with graying hair and a goatee.  When we came into the hotel later in the night, he was standing by the door again, and then when we went upstairs to our floor he seemed to follow us up, as he was in our hall not five minutes later, saying “There’s been a report of a gathering in the hall.”  There was no one in the hall except for Debbie who was taking out the trash. (And he said his name was “John”!  This seemed like a nasty inside joke, Ha Ha Ha.)

Well, since when are hallway gatherings prohibited in the Chelsea Hotel ?!  This seemed like borderline harassment itself.  And then when we went back downstairs to look into the matter, we noticed another security guard!  This guy, dressed the same, was a huge, 6’3” African American guy.  Two security guards!?  For a Monday night?!  At the Chelsea Hotel, of all places!?
            So what we, as legal, long-term, rent-paying residents of the hotel demand to know is: Who are these people?  Who hired them: Andrew Tilley or David Elder?  What company are they with, and are they bonded and insured?  Whoever is responsible for the hiring of these guards is deliberately creating an atmosphere of overt hostility toward the residents of this hotel, to let us know that we are being watched, and that we are not wanted here.

Did I mention that this is the Chelsea Hotel ?  Never in a million years would this have happened under Stanley.  I don’t even recognize this place anymore. — Ed Hamilton

Finally, some good news for the Chelsea community!  The above quote comes from minority shareholder David Elder, and guests and residents alike will be lining up in the lobby starting at 8:00 AM on Monday morning to take him up on his generous offer.

Seriously, though, hello and a warm welcome to Page 6 Magazine readers.  (The artice will be available online Monday) You can find more about the Chelsea Hotel, its famous artists past and present, and about the recent conflict, on this blog—probably more than you ever wanted to know, in fact.  [Meet the Principles: humorous introductions to Marlene Krauss, David Elder, and Glennon Travis]

As Annie Karni reports in her perceptive article, we are supposed to have an actual manager now, but I’m skeptical because the place is still a Godforsaken nut house (and not in the good sense, like it was, for instance, in the sixties).  In his fifty years at the helm, Stanley was always at the front desk to address residents’ concerns.  Where on earth is this British bloke Andrew Tilley? 

Karni did a good job in reporting the basic story of the Chelsea’s recent troubles (and it’s a complex tale, to be sure), but I have a couple of corrections:

1. Stanley Bard is the majority shareholder, owning 68% of the hotel.  I know this sounds weird, but it was the minority shareholders, Krauss and Elder, who somehow got a judge to agree to let them manage the hotel

2. Also, BD Hotels was in charge for about 10 months (rather than they 2 months reported in Karni’s article), long enough to transform the vibe of the hotel from easygoing bohemian to paranoid schizophrenic.

     Basically, what happened here at the Chelsea is that longtime manager Stanley Bard was ousted in a hostile take over by the minority shareholders, Marlene Krauss and David Elder.  They alleged that Stanley was engaged in certain nebulous financial improprieties (such as accepting paintings in lieu of rent), but what it boils down to is a simple matter of greed: in New York’s super-heated real estate climate, they thought they could make a killing by running off the rent stabilized tenants of the Chelsea and converting the place into a boutique hotel where they could rent rooms for $500 a night.  (They were wrong about that.  They are unwilling to commit the money to fix the place up, and in any event they are having a devil of a time getting rid of the tenants who have decided to stand up for their rights.)  It’s the same basic thing that’s happening in building after building across New York City.
     Because we believe he was unjustly ousted, and in order to preserve an important cultural icon from destruction, the residents of the Chelsea Hotel call for the return of “Grumpy old man” Stanley and his son David.  Although we are willing to give Andrew Tilley a chance, we as yet have no indication that he is up for the job.  He has to stand up at the desk and actually run the hotel, and that includes talking to the press.  And why won’t Marlene Krauss give the press a comment?  She’s the one in charge.  (Elder is just a patsy.)  Tilley should also call a meeting of the Tenant’s Association to introduce himself and explain his plans for the hotel.  But how much you wanna bet he won’t do it?
            We have been getting a lot of e-mail lately from potential guests saying they’d rather not get into the middle of this messy conflict, but we say, come on down to the Chelsea!  You’re our kind of people—not like this guy in Karni’s article who complains about Janis Joplin’s wash rag.  We want people who share our dreams and visions about art and the creative life, not soulless yuppies.  Make a sign that says BRING BACK THE BARDS! and voice your opinion loud and clear when you check in at the front desk.  And don’t forget to get in the David Elder courtesy line first thing Monday morning.  — Ed Hamilton

Our readers are still confused.  Here’s the latest reader submitted Tilley sighting.

After reading about all the horrible things going on around here, such as Stanley’s ouster, tenants being forced out, and the squabbles between shareholders and management, Blog readers often write in to ask if they should still visit the hotel.  Their concerns are valid–ranging from not wanting to give their money to a band of scoundrels to a fear that they might get caught up in the political struggle–and no one would blame them if they chose to spend their money elsewhere.  At the present time, however, we are still urging friends of the hotel to come and be our guests while the place still retains a hint of its old edgy charm.  (Don’t forget to tell them at the desk to BRING BACK THE BARDS!)  Anyway, here are a couple of letters from concerned readers:

Hi Ed, I’ve been reading through your blog everyday for the past few weeks. I originally heard of the hotel while going through a Sid and Nancy obsession but have since flipped that to a Chelsea obsession. I saw the Chelsea in person for the first time in October while attending Rocky Horror but I was too nervous to go inside–probably, like many others, because I was afraid I wouldn’t want to leave. I’d like to plan a weekend trip to the Chelsea to experience it first hand and I’m wondering your opinion on a few things. I’m kicking myself because I didn’t get to visit while Stanley was in charge. It would be easy for me to stay in the Fall, but should I try to get out there ASAP in case more changes are planned? Also, how difficult/more expensive do you think it would be to get a room on the balcony side? I am, like most, afraid of getting screwed by new management.

Thanks for your help and all the great insider info on the Chelsea,
Renée

Your concerns about getting screwed by the new management are well founded, Renée, though I think when they do screw someone it’s less of a concerted campaign than merely the result of incompetence.  We’ve heard plenty of stories about guests being ripped off, but just as many stories about guests getting an unbelievably good deal.  So perhaps if you don’t hear what you like the first time you call, you should just wait and talk to somebody else.  (This was the way it was under BD anyway; we must confess we don’t yet know what to expect from the new manager.)  But I think you can safely wait until fall to visit.  Although the minority shareholders would like to renovate the place and throw us all out, they don’t seem to want to spend any money to do it.

Because I plan another visit to NYC I took a look at the Chelsea Hotel website. Oh man, things have changed since I stayed there in 1992 for three weeks. And immediately I discovered the ‘loss’ of Mister Stanley Bard, whom I met and had such a wonderful time with (he asked me a couple of times per week about my stay), when I read about the hotel’s history. I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was/is a landmark of his own and so linked to the hotel. It’s such a shame, it really is, that the new management did not mention him and his family. This is not just an omission by accident, it’s meant to be this way. It makes me feel sad. Somewhere else on this great blog (I subscribed today) I read about people wondering whether they would come or not to the hotel since the new management. Me too, I’m seriously in doubt. So BD management (I’m pretty sure you’ll read this blog), come on and act properly! Don’t throw history away, don’t rewrite history and do not forget his story!

Frank, The Netherlands.

      Yeah, Stanley definitely was a large part of the Chelsea experience, and we apologize to everyone that he is no longer here to compare this place to the Plaza or to assure you—in case you were silly enough to doubt it–that the Chelsea Hotel is the most famous building in the world.  (It’s not our fault, but the minority shareholders sure aren’t going to apologize.  And you’re right: it’s definitely not an accident that there’s no mention of the Bard family on the hotel’s web site.)  BD, by the way, is now history, the victim of Richard Born’s greed and ambition running head on into Marlene Krauss’s greed and irrational-vendetta-against-Stanley, and so we have a new manager, a guy named Andrew Tilley, whom few residents have ever actually seen, and whom at least one blog reader seemed to confuse with a dog.
          Oh, by the way, when you do come, be sure to put on an old sweatshirt and head downstairs for a beer at the Star Lounge!  (Just kidding: Chelsea Hotel guests and residents aren’t welcome there.) — Ed Hamilton

Star Lounge owner Charles Ferri will mix you up a stiff one if his dreams come true and he’s able to open up his proposed "Legends Cafe" in the lobby of the Chelsea Hotel.  Our advice: don’t order the Pina Colada.
(Photo: Celinna von Mannstein, Park Avenue)
 

Our readers are so confused as to the identity of this Tilley fellow that they have started to send us bizzare tips such as the following:

watching cbs sunday morning and theres a dog who paints pictures whose name is "tilley"

Apparently it wasn’t enough for BD Hotels to rewrite history and leave out the Bards when they launched the new Chelsea Hotel website — they also stole photos and used them on the site!  According to photograher Raymond Haddad the new site features his photo which he originally posted on flickr. The site doesn’t credit him as the photographer!  Additionally, the site features photos from Claudio Edinger’s Chelsea Hotel book.  Wonder if BD bothered to get Claudio’s permission?