Here’s the note that some residents received in their boxes yesterday. While it doesn’t sound too bad, all things considered, I have a sneaking feeling that it will now get worse. In The Independent, Board member David Elder, along with corporate hit men Balazs and Druckier, are quoted as saying they won’t evict anyone — sort of. "They will not turn out those residents already in rooms, they insist," the article says. Gotta admit, though, it’s not like an airtight contract. I wish Dee Dee were here to challenge them to a knife fight. 
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Without the legendary Stanley Bard the Chelsea Hotel would be nothing but a pile of bricks, mortar, and
wrought iron. One of the few humanitarian landlords in the Country, Stanley, over the past five decades has helped hundreds of struggling artists, including me and my children (who still miss the Chelsea) to survive. This help has included an unerring instinct for publicity, a trait I’m afraid his partners, who inherited from their dead fathers, and who, according to your June 19th Metro article, have driven Stanley out, probably lack. The inheritors, from what I remember of them, seem to lack the
charisma that made Stanley one of New York’s most memorable and treasured characters. Without Stanley the Chelsea loses its soul and West 23rd street can welcome the New World Order where profit is the only virtue. Viva (Hoffmann) Palm Springs, Ca. -
Our new overlords, the corporate suits of BD Hotels, have just released their plans for our happy home. Certain quotes are telling. Board member Marleen Krauss, says, "For many, the Chelsea Hotel is
one of New York’s most cherished and legendary landmarks." Yes, but for some its not, including, I suspect Marlene and BD Hotels.
They say they want to "preserve and restore the building." Sounds fine, but it’s words like "enhance," "reinvigorate," and "rejuvenate" that give one pause. Not to mention the diabolical suggestion of "modernization." Though this latter is applied to the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems — which may not sound like a bad idea — we need to read between the lines here: they are going to be tearing out walls, creating an infernal racket, and filling the air with (possibly hazardous) dust. Possibly with a view to driving us out.
I also bristle at the talk of creating "more inviting and livelier common areas," and "better activitating the Chelsea Hotel’s historic spaces." What else is this but an underhanded way of saying they are going to renovate the lobby? Haven’t you done your homework. The lobby is the Vortex of Insanity. You start messing with stuff there and you’ll be sucked down into hell! The ghosts will follow you home, you jerks.
Also disturbing is the obvious suggestion of a "street-front retail program." A big box, in other words, maybe a bank or a Duane Reade. Hell, maybe we can clear all that junk out of Dan’s Guitar’s and get a Starbucks! A big, fat Vomit Latte for the Armani suit of wolves who came up with this nauseating plan.
Ira Drukier of BD thinks that with a little work the Chelsea "can once again become a crown jewel of New York City." But aren’t we already that? (They took the Pickwick Arms on East 51st Street and turned it into something called "The Pod Hotel.") It sounds more like they plan to turn us into just another trashy bauble. — Ed Hamilton (Thanks Gothamist for the photo.) -
We have been informed, and rightly we believe, that the New Chelsea Hotel Management (aka: BD Hotels) did not actually avert a public relations disaster. It is, and still remains, a public relations disaster. We hope that it remains a public relations disaster until Stanley and David are back where they belong.
It’s clear from the press release that perhaps these people have rarely stepped foot inside of the Chelsea. A top priority is to "create more inviting and livelier common areas." Have these people never stopped to talk to the lobby sitters? They’re a pretty lively crowd.
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The recent move by the Board of Directors, led by Marlene Krauss, to replace Stanley Bard with Ira Drucker Associates, has proved none too popular in these parts. Due to overwhelming tenant support and media interest, Stanley has been allowed to stay on at the hotel, albeit in a reduce role of "Consultant’ or "goodwill ambassador." While this is not ideal, it’s good to know we’ll still have him here to look after our interests.
Sadly, Stanley’s son, David, has apparently been told there is no place for him in the new order (at least at this time.) It’s a shame he never got the chance to run the place himself. He’s still young, however, so perhaps in a few years he’ll be back, as we hear that control of the hotel will eventually revert back to the Bard family. They are, after all, still the majority shareholders.
We need to remain vigilant, and keep up the pressure so that Stanley will continue to have a say in the running of the hotel, rather than being gradually forced out, and so that there’ll still be something left of the place for David to come back to.Blogs: Gothamist, city.room.nytimes, Curbed, Gawker, Hotel Chatter, NY Mag.com, Bloggy.com, Larry Person, Found in Brooklyn, The Huffington Post, The Real Deal, Newyorkology, Gothamist again, Curbed Again, Hoover Factory, Human Under Construction, The Wit of the Staircase, Contemporary Arts Review,
Artsjournal, Chez Bez, Nikki Allen, Hochparterre International, Punk Turns 30, Hotel Chatter again, Ephemerist, I’m Not a Cat Lady, Mad Pilot, best year ever, NYMag.com again Bloggy Bloggy dew, Gothamist again, Hotel Chatter againMSM: New York Times, New York Post, Reuters, The Independent, The Age, New York Times again, news.com.au, Western Mail, The Australian, ABC News (AU), TVguide.com, washingtonpost.com, Village Voice,
Stories Not Available Online: International Hearld Tribune, Windsor Star (CA), Canberra Times (AU),
Rubenstein’s Corporate Press Release
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We’ve learned that the new management company is Ira Drucker Associates. Drucker was involved in the conversion of the Covenant House into the Maritime Hotel. He also recently partnered with other developers to develop the two Richard Meier glass towers on Perry Street.
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Stanley Bard is back in the building today for what appears to be his final day as manager of the Chelsea Hotel. We asked him if he would like to say a few words to the tenants of the hotel.
CB: Do you have a statement for the tenants and other readers of this blog?Stanley: I’ve been here 50 years and this hotel is my life. I am fighting for my rights and for my people, who are some of the most beautiful most creative people in the world. We want the transition to be smooth so that everyone is not scared out of their minds. And this is not the way to do it. Peoples lives are too important.
CB: Do you know what your role will be in the new order?
Stanley: I haven’t got a clue as to my role. I hope to be able to influence the direction of the hotel in some way.CB: Do you have any advice for tenants?
Stanley: Just tell the truth, give your true feelings. Everyone knows that I work as hard as anyone and I don’t know what more I can do. I have tried to give them (the board of directors) everything they want. They want more profits and I don’t blame them, but this is not the way to go about it, throwing out poor artists. Some people need a little extra help, and I’ve always tried to do what I can. Over the years people here have created some really beautiful, meaningful things, and they just needed that little bit of help to be able to do it. This hotel has heart and soul and it’s not all about the bottom line! (Photo: David Gibbons, Chelsea Now) -
Where’s Stanley?
Here’s my portfolio, can I get a room?Can I stay in Sid’s room?
Where’s the hotel bar?Did Harry Smith keep a zombie in his room?
Can we go up on the roof?
Do you plan to take down the art?
Can we have a laundry room in the basement?
Do you know who the bloggers are?
Are you going to gut the building?
Can you get the junkie out of my bathroom?
How many people have committed suicide here?Do I really have to pay my rent now?
Do you have any questions for the new management team?
Bring’em on! -
The breaking news at New York’s famed Chelsea Hotel is that managing partner Stanley Bard, and the rest of the Bard family, have been forced out by their board of directors. Starting Monday, an as yet unnamed new management company will take over the day-to-day operations of the hotel. The beloved Stanley—everyone calls him by his first name—has been in charge of the hotel for over fifty years.
It was he who fashioned and maintained the unique creative dynamic of the hotel, presiding over the sixties when Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen wrote some of their greatest songs here, and Andy Warhol filmed the fam
ous Chelsea Girls. Since then, nearly everyone who’s anyone in the New York art, music and writing scene has lived here at sometime or another, including Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe, Madonna, Dee Dee Ramone, and more recently Ethan Hawke and Ryan Adams. Stanley has always managed to keep rents low for the creative people living here, most of whom—unlike the stars listed—don’t have much money, but all of whom are just as important in maintaining the famous Chelsea spirit.
Certainly we’re all a bit apprehensive here at the hotel, wondering what will happen now to our unique artistic community. The actual ownership structure of the hotel is a closely guarded secret. It is known that Stanley’s father, David, in partnership with two men named Krauss and Gross, bought the hotel in 1940. (Stanley took over upon his father’s death in 1957.) These days, the part of the hotel that Stanley’s father owned is still in the Bard family, but the interests of the other partners’ families are represented by a board of directors. The board seems to have given Stanley a wide latitude in managing the hotel over the years–that is, apparently, until just recently. What happened is that the hotel simply became too valuable.
When Chelsea was a depressed neighborhood it was one thing, but now that this area is one of the most desirable in New York, the temptation to cash in has apparently proved too compelling to ignore. The other owners—outsiders who have no stake in the Chelsea–would just as soon turn the building into a boutique hotel and rent the rooms to rich tourists, or gut the building and convert it to condos. Lately, the board had been pressing Stanley relentlessly to make more money, and in the past few years he made a series of missteps, raising rents on many tenants—perhaps illegally–initiating a flurry of lawsuits.
Despite some ruffled feathers and bad feelings, however, few of us here doubt that Stanley has always had our best interests, and those of our unique community, at heart. On the other hand, many of us suspect that this is what gave the board the pretext for the take-over. Stanley, who was seen staggering out of his office Thursday evening in disbelief after being given the news, was ousted just days before his 73rd Birthday on June 16. He had planned to turn over the reins of the hotel to his son, David, who has worked alongside him for many years. Please write in to this blog to show your support for the Bard family and the Chelsea artistic community. — Ed Hamilton (Photo: Chelsea Now)
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Update — We have talked to a source who has spoken
with the Bards. They have been forced out of their management role. As far as we know they still retain their ownership share. Stanley Bard took over operation of the hotel from his father, David Bard, in the mid-1950s. (By the way, today, June 16, is Stanley Bard’s 73rd birthday. How weird is that?) Stanley has always managed to keep the rents at least somewhat affordable for the writers and artists in residence, but now his partners (represented by a board of director) have forced him and his son out of their management roles. This certainly means the end of an era for the hotel. We have been hearing rumors since early 2006 that the board was putting pressure on Stanley to make the hotel more profitable. —
______Numerous sources are reporting that the Bard family is no longer in charge of the Chelsea Hotel. Apparently this occurred Thursday night when a member of the board came to the hotel to deliver the news to Stanley that he was out. Stanley was seen staggering out of his office in disbelief at the news. Although he had been under pressure from the board for some time this apparently came as a bolt out of the blue.
We have it on good sources that an outside management corporation will take over operation of the hotel on Monday. Of course, we’ll all wait to see what Monday brings. There is still a possibility that these rumors will prove unfounded. Stanley Bard is a tough cookie. So no one should panic yet.
We will add to this breaking story as we learn more information.
