Hotel Chelsea in New York City is the most chic and controversial hotel in the city. The hotel building resembles a fairytale castle of 10 floors. It is located in the center of the city in one of the most dynamic neighborhoods – Chelsea. Tribeca, Soho, Nolita, Broadway and many great restaurants, exciting nightclubs and cozy cafes are located not far from the hotel.
The hotel building was built in 1884 and was the first luxury apartment complex in New York City. The building was built as an income house with apartments, where the number of rooms varied from one to seven. But this venture failed due to financial problems. As a hotel, the building was opened in 1905. The hotel attracted many artists and painters, but they did not always pay the bills, and eventually in 1939 the Chelsea Hotel went bankrupt for the second time, but the hotel was saved by businessman David Bard, who skillfully managed it. In the 1960s, the Chelsea Hotel became famous as a rock-n-roll hotel, hosting some of the most challenging people in the world, such as Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix. Also in the 60s of the XX century in the bar of the Chelsea Hotel almost every night you could see Salvador Dali, who sat on a high chair and watched the people around him. A cheetah in a collar lay at his feet with a nonchalant look.
Hotel Chelsea is very popular among famous, talented and extraordinary personalities. At one time Mark Twain, Tennessee Williams, Larry Rivers, Arthur Miller, Dylan Thomas, Andy Warhol, Edith Piaf, Merlin Monroe lived here. On October 11, 1978, punk rock icon and heroin hero Sid Vicious found his girlfriend Nancy dead in the bathtub in his 100th hotel room in the early morning hours and he was arrested on charges of her murder, but was soon acquitted. A few months later, Vicious himself died here of an overdose. The Chelsea Hotel was home to Sarah Bernhardt, who liked to sleep in a coffin. Tom Waits gave his first interview to Rolling Stone magazine in this hotel. Now Tom Waits comes here all the time, as he admits that he feels at home here.
After his divorce from Uma Thurman, Ethan Hawke returned to this comfortable hotel. Julian Schnabel keeps an apartment behind him, although he has his own house not far from the hotel. Thus Hotel Chelsea from its inception to the present day has a reputation as the most dramatic, scandalous, passion-filled hotel that continues to be a haven for extraordinary personalities. Almost a third of the hotel’s rooms are occupied by people living here permanently.