The Chelsea Hotel
Remembering NYC's home for junkies and geniuses.
On 23rd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, stands a handsome red brick Victorian Gothic building with ornate wrought iron balconies that has been the home of NYC’s downtown creatives, famous, infamous and notorious for over 100 years. The Hotel Chelsea, better known as the Chelsea, at 222 West 23rd Street, until recently, was ground zero for NYC downtown cool. Built between 1883 and 1884, and designed by Philip Hubert, it originally opened as NYC’s first co-op residence. As the wealthy moved further uptown, the neighborhood went into decline and in 1905, the luxury co-op morphed into a hotel. Its Victorian Gothic style lends a dark and poetic feel to the place that attracted a more colorful clientele. The 12-story building has been home to numerous writers, musicians, artists, and entertainers, some of whom still live there today. After a major renovation in 2022, most of the Chelsea is now used as a luxury hotel. The building is a NYC designated landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The exterior has been cleaned up and there is an upscale restaurant called Cafe Chelsea which feels more like a Parisian Brasserie than a hotel restaurant. There are few signs that indicate it was once home to some of the most influential creatives of all time. The list of notable denizens reads like the who’s who in art, literature, music and entertainment.
DYLAN. COHEN. JOPLIN. MAPPLETHORPE. SEDGWICK. MILLER. THOMAS. HENDRIX. BURROUGHS. MITCHELL. WESSELMANN. ANDOE. RIVERS. WHITELEY. SMITH. POP. VICIOUS. BAKER. HAWKE. TWAIN. WAITS. WAINWRIGHT. KEROUAC. BECK. THURMAN. BEHAN. CLARKE. CORSO. THOMSON. WOLFE.
In 1994 the Chelsea was in decline and many of its most famous residents had long since died or fled. Australian photographer Tony Notarberadio, moved to NYC via Paris, checked into the hotel and has been living there ever since. Over the past 30 years, Notarberardino has captured the soul of this iconic landmark, shooting portraits of its residents and guests, that are being exhibited for the first time by ACA Gallery on 10th Avenue. Notarberardino described his inspiration in the exhibit press release below.
“At 4am one night in September 1997, I was inside the Chelsea Hotel elevator returning home when suddenly a hand adorned with long, painted fingernails blocked it from closing. In walked an aged drag queen carrying more shopping bags than she could manage while holding the hand of a six-year-old boy. After four years of letting these moments pass by, I introduced myself and asked if I could photograph her. Without hesitation, she agreed.”
Decades before Notarberardino arrived at the Chelsea, the hotel was legendary. Warhol shot his classic film, Chelsea Girls there, Sid Vicious allegedly murdered his girlfriend Nancy there, and of course, Leonard Cohen, inspired by a one night stand with Janis Joplin, wrote the songs Chelsea Hotel #1 and Chelsea Hotel #2 which demonstrate his genius as a songwriter and capture the vibe of the place like no other. In the video below, at a live performance, Cohen describes the encounter that was inspiration for the song that has become a clarion call for creatives and misfits for decades.
Chelsea Hotel #2 - Leonard Cohen
In its current incarnation, the iconic temple of cool may have been homogenized for the instagram-influencer set, but buildings have a way of holding energy. If the ghosts of the Chelsea Hotel have anything to say about it, in another age and time, the misfit’s mecca will come roaring back to life, setting the tone for another rebellious generation.
Chelsea Hotel Portraits, by Tony Notarberardino is only on view until April 27th. Don’t miss it! Head on over to ACA Gallery at 173 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011 or visit the exhibits instagram page.
To learn more about the legend of the Chelsea, check out the CBS This Morning piece that ran a few years ago.