Living with Legends: Hotel Chelsea Blog

Chelsea Hotel Resident Threatens Chetrit with Lawsuit Over Missing Artwork

In an article in the New York Daily News Chelsea Hotel resident Collen Weinstein discusses her unsuccessful efforts to have her husband's artwork, which was removed from the walls of the Chelsea Hotel, returned.  Her lawyer says: " In November, ... the artwork was put on a truck and that his client saw one of the works loaded and "not properly wrapped."  He says Sirkin (Chelsea Hotel Manager Lilly Sirkin) refused to reveal where the art is and that the hotel won't let Weinstein remove a mobile of her husband's that hangs on the 10th floor."

We called the cops that day in November when we saw that Colleen's paintings and other art works from the Hotel were being thrown into the back of a Budget Rental Van. Sargent Fields refused to take a report, saying it was civil matter (since when is it a civil matter when someone steals your property off of your wall and refuses to give it back).  We too (as well an many other residents) were told that if we got a signed letter from Stanley Bard stating that the Hotel did not own the item that was removed from the wall that it would be returned.  Although we provided the proof demanded the work was still not returned, and so far, we've gotten nothing but a run around from Lily Sirkin and Michael Butler. Many other tenants have received the same treatment.  Here's a pic of the license plate number of the Budget Rental Van that hauled the art away in November.  

Patti Smith cancels chelsea hotel performance for tenants

Thanks Patti for listening to the tenants and supporters of the Chelsea Hotel. Her statement is on her blog www.pattismith.net Kudos to all of the people who made this happen. This really does show that the people have the power. The biggest thanks go to Jeremiah Moss of Jeremiah's Vanishing New York who came up with the idea of the "die in" and organized it. Thanks to everbody else who had other protests planned. Lets just hope we don't have to fight Bob Dylan next week. Here is Patti's message in its entirety: In respect for the wishes of the Chelsea Hotel Tenants Association I have canceled tonight's performance. My motivation was solely to serve the tenants. If this serves them better, than I am satisfied.

Patti Smith Plays Guitar While the Chelsea Hotel Dies: "Die In" at Chelsea Hotel 8PM Tonite

We stole our headline from Jeremiah's Vanishing New York.  Jeremiah's brillant idea is to call for a "Die in" at the Chelsea Hotel tonight at 8 pm to coincide with Patti Smith's proposed concert in the Chelsea Hotel ballroom (Richard Bernstein's former apt.).  Patti played last night for the developers and their friends.  And tonight she is going to try to get the tenants on board with the developers program whatever it is. While the concert is going on with probably very few if any residents in attendance protesters will meet outside the Chelsea Hotel, raise lit lighters, and recite the lycris of Patti's song "People Have the Power".  Bring umbrellas in case of rain.  There may be other protests going on as well.  Stay tuned. 
Details about the Flash Mob "Die in" are here and here.
UPDATE:  "DIE IN" logo has been provided by one of the Hotel's artists-in-residence.

Global Media calls on Patti Smith to Cancel Controversial Chelsea Hotel Concert

Nobody seems to be buying Patti Smith's explanation of her involvement with the Chetrit's, and in truth, it does seem kind of evasive, like a non-answer cooked up by PR flacks. She doesn't really seem to address any of the issues we raised in any substantive manner. (She has no understanding of Landmarking issues, while on the other hand she seems ready to make a bogus legal judgment on who the rightful tenants are.) Besides, if she is not getting paid, that just raises the issue of what exactly she is getting out of it. Sorry Patti, but we don't quite buy the line that you are doing it out of the goodness of your own heart. And if she just wants to provide a nice evening for tenants, why did she have a separate event last night for friends and family of the developer? Yes, that's right, she entertained in the Chelsea Hotel ballroom last night at a totally separate event! (See Photo)

Historian Sherill Tippins has some interesting insight into the issue (exceprts from Sherill's Facebook comments around the concert): "Ed Scheetz, one of the co-owners of the hotel, fell in love with "Just Kids" and contacted her.  I think she's telling the truth when she says she wasn't compensated. She doesn't need the money. And when they pitched me, they didn't offer anything and I didn't ask for anything. It was supposedly all about love for the Chelsea. (I swear, I figured out the scam pretty quickly!) With careful guidance from my Chelsea Hotel friends. I think her motive was good, as mine was: The Chelsea was sold, that was a fact. Tragically, the Bards no longer controlled it. But now there was this guy, one among the owners, who had caught a whiff of the magic of the place and wanted to preserve it. The problem is, he's not in charge. When I realized that they couldn't even SEE the current residents in the landscape of their plans, I knew that they didn't get it and that they would create havoc, fail, and eventually leave."

There has been worldwide interest in this issue, and we'd like to thank all of the bloggers and journalists who have written about Patti Smith and the Chelsea Hotel situation for their support. Oddly enough, none of them seem to be buying Patti's belated explanation for what appears to be a self-serving action. Here is a list of links to some of the coverage:

http://culture.wnyc.org/articles/features/2012/jan/13/patti-smith-cancels-concert-after-chelsea-hotel-residents-protest/

http://gothamist.com/2012/01/13/patti_smith_cancels_private_hotel_c.php

http://animalnewyork.com/2012/01/patti-smith-cancels-chelsea-hotel-performance/

Personal vote for best headline - http://www.observer.com/2012/01/because-the-night-belongs-to-chetrit/

http://www.kennethinthe212.com/2012/01/flash-mob-at-chelsea-hotel-tonight-to.html

http://jameswagner.com/2012/01/the_chelsea_hotel_no.html

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/01/a_flash_mob_chelsea_hotel_patti_smith.php

http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2012/01/patti-at-chelsea.html

http://www.dnainfo.com/20120111/chelsea-hells-kitchen/patti-smith-responds-criticism-over-chelsea-hotel-concert

http://evgrieve.com/2012/01/call-for-patti-smith-to-cancel-her.html

http://flavorwire.com/248119/is-patti-smith-supporting-hotel-chelseas-awful-new-management

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/01/why-is-patti-smith-playing-at-the-chelsea-hotel.html

http://gothamist.com/2012/01/10/patti_smith_to_play_private_hotel_c.php

http://gothamist.com/2012/01/11/patti_smith_speaks_out_about_curren.php

http://animalnewyork.com/2012/01/why-is-patti-smith-selling-out-hotel-chelsea/

http://www.cooperativa.cl/recital-de-patti-smith-desato-polemica-en-hotel-de-nueva-york/prontus_nots/2012-01-10/162102.html

http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/65688653.html

http://www.nme.com/news/patti-smith/61369

http://www.contactmusic.com/news/patti-smith-addresses-chelsea-hotel-controversy-in-statement_1282750

http://wcbsfm.radio.com/2012/01/12/patti-smith-to-play-private-show-at-hotel-chelsea-despite-objection-from-residents/

http://www.411mania.com/music/news/218939/Patti-Smith-Criticized-For-Upcoming-Hotel-Chelsea-Show.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/nyregion/doubts-over-patti-smith-concert-plan-for-chelsea-hotel-tenants.html

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/10/mcdonalds-fries-preserve-_n_1197517.html

 

http://chelseanow.com/articles/2012/01/11/news/doc4f0d246b31785733066994.txt

 

http://www.dnainfo.com/20120111/chelsea-hells-kitchen/patti-smiths-concert-at-chelsea-hotel-irks-residents

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/patti-smith-show-hotel-chelsea-tune-residents-facing-eviction-article-1.1004188

 

 

http://www.chelseahotelblog.com/living_with_legends_the_h/2012/01/patti-smith-responds-.html

 

http://www.dailynewsme.com/2012/01/patti-smith-says-she-wants-to-help-hotel-chelsea-and-residents.html

 

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/01/patti-smith-says-shes-not-working-for-the-man.html

 

http://eastvillage.thelocal.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/at-hotel-chelsea-signs-of-village-denizens-vanish-while-patti-smith-returns/?pagemode=print

http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-news/view/44326/Smith-scraps-Chelsea-Hotel-show-after-backlash/ 

http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00046894.html 

http://savvystews.com/?p=1954

International:

 

http://www.tvi24.iol.pt/musica/patti-smith-chelsea-hotel-concerto-nova-iorque-hotel-chelsea/1316280-4060.html

http://gaffa.dk/nyhed/56291

http://www.thrillermagazine.es/2012/11118/noticias/musica-2/patti-smith-concierto-privado-solo-para-huespedes/

http://www.emol.com/noticias/magazine/2012/01/10/520989/patti-smith-ofrecera-concierto-privado-a-huespedes-permanentes-del-hotel-chelsea.html

Chelsea Hotel Blog Response to Patti Smith

Thanks Patti, for responding.  If you are worried about the building being leveled, you can put your mind at rest – it’s landmarked and can’t be torn down.  As for management efforts to save and restore the building there aren’t any.  Instead they are gutting the rooms.   We are worried about who the rightful tenants are going to turn out to be – obviously not the more than 30 who are being evicted and as for the artist-in- residence program, there are already plenty of those here. 

We are glad that you aren’t taking compensation but you should not let the Chetrits use you for propaganda purposes.

If you want to give a concert for us great,  but chose a neutral venue, one where Chetrit will not be sponsoring you. 

We still think you should cancel your event in the ballroom.

Patti Smith Responds via a Publicist with an Official Statement about the Chelsea Hotel

Her response, which still leaves a lot of questions, is published in full below.  Since when can a landmark building be leveled?  Patti, have you actually looked at the "renovations"?  The historic rooms have been gutted.  And, in case you haven't noticed, there are already a lot of artists in residence here and a lot of them are facing eviction proceedings. 

HOTEL CHELSEA

My current involvement with the Hotel Chelsea began some
... months ago when I heard rumors that the hotel would be
leveled. I was devastated and entered in a dialogue with the
architect, through a mutual friend.

He assured me this was not the case and every effort would
be made to save and restore the building, which was greatly
deteriorating. Having witnessed the demolition and
redevelopment of much of our city I was at least hopeful
that the hotel would stand.

Since then my few efforts on behalf of the Hotel have been
unofficial and uncompensated.

My dialogue has continued with the architect. My personal
objectives have always been:

— To offer uncompensated advice as to the aesthetics
of the renovation project.

— To council all concerned to develop positive
communication to the rightful tenants.

— To be available in the future, without fee, in
participating in the development and preservation of the
artistic cachet of the hotel.

— To participate in the development of a possible
artists-in-residence program.

My small performance for the tenants was my own idea. My
hope is that we might have a nice evening and the
opportunity to communicate directly.

I am an independent person, not owned or directed by anyone.
My allegiance is to the Hotel itself, and I have done
nothing to tarnish it. It is very difficult for me to
embrace change, but my great hope is to witness the Hotel
Chelsea find a strong and positive place in the twenty-first
century.

Patti Smith Sings for Chelsea Hotel Developer Joseph Chetrit

The Bard family has been good to Patti Smith, helping her out at two difficult times in her life.  The first time, in the late sixties when she was a struggling, unknown poet, Stanley Bard gave her and her friend Robert Mappelthorpe a place to stay so they could get out of the drug and vermin infested Allerton Hotel.    The second time, in the late nineties, after the tragic death of her husband, Stanley came through with an apartment yet again.
       It is with great sadness, therefore, that we reprint the following invitation, which showed up in our Chelsea Hotel mailbox just yesterday.       

            Patti must not know that the person sponsoring her upcoming event, Joseph Chetrit, is the same developer who took Stanley Bard’s beloved Chelsea Hotel away from him and his family.  And surely she is unaware that this is the same Joseph Chetrit whose demolition crews recently gutted over a hundred historic Chelsea Hotel rooms.  Finally, if she hasn’t been in some way deceived, we know there’s no way in hell Patti would give a concert in support of a man, Joseph Chetrit, who is presently trying to evict almost thirty Chelsea Hotel residents using both housing and Supreme court.

            We love Patti and her music, and we would love to see her concert, just not under these circumstances.  And so we call on Patti, now that she knows the truth, to cancel this event.

Chelsea Hotel Owner Joseph Chetrit Has a History with Rats

Joseph Chetrit is starting to look like the Pied Piper of Hamlin: wherever he goes, the rats follow.  It seems that in 2007, they even followed him home!  Imagine waking up in your beautiful mansion in Englewood, New Jersey to find one of these fearsome critters staring you down!  Chetrit and his family were understandably upset, and Chetrit even initiated a lawsuit to force Local 79 to remove the 15-foot monstrosity.  It apparently didn’t occur to Chetrit that the obvious solution was to STOP EXPLOITING NON-UNION WORKERS!!! 
            The workers have families too, Mr. Chetrit.  The union maids, bellmen, engineers, and clerks of the Chelsea Hotel all have families.  You remember them, don’t you?  They were locked out of the hotel and you still refuse to pay their severance.  The non-union construction workers who are gutting the hotel, some of whom are reportedly only making $8 per hour, also have families.  How are they supposed to afford gifts for their families this holiday season?

[Note: we couldn’t find a picture of a rat in front of Chetrit’s home, so here’s one in front of OUR HOME.]

Chelsea Hotel Destructo-Porn : Herbert Huncke Room

Here’s what remains of Beat writer Herbert Huncke’s room.  Huncke, who inspired characters in Ginsberg’s Howl, Kerouac’s On the Road, and Burrough’s Junky, lived a hand-to-mouth existence in this rent stabilized room until his death.  He could have never afforded to live in NYC if the Chetrits of the world had had their way.  Underpaid, non-union demolition crews working with Joe and Meyer Chetrit,  Jonathan Chetrit, Gene Kaufman, and Ed Scheetz,  just to name a few of the characters involved , are taking rent-stabilized rooms off the books and destroying important chapters in New York history as they do so. 

The Union Rat is still in front of the Chelsea Hotel to protest this abuse.  Union reps are encouraging concerned citizens and supporters of the Chelsea Hotel to call Mayor Bloomberg and complain about the Chelsea Hotel situation.

Union Continues Rat Protest at Chelsea Hotel

Local Union 79 continues to protest the non-union demolition going on at the Chelsea Hotel. Almost all of the non-occupied rooms have been gutted. Maybe the rat plans to stay long enough to get rent stabilization.

It's a Three Rat Day at Joseph Chetrit's Chelsea Hotel

Will they continue to multiply?

Union Rat Eyes Chelsea Hotel Owner Joseph Chetrit

Union workers erected a large rat in front of the Chelsea Hotel today to protest Joseph Chetrit's use of non-union labor to demolish the interior of the hotel.  Former Hotel workers had long been union members but in August when the Chelsea Hotel was in the process of  changing ownership, the union workers arrived at the Hotel to find they had been locked out.  Then they were given a one day notice and fired.  Though promised a severance package, the maids, clerks, engineers, and bellmen of the Chelsea, many of whom had worked at the Hotel for decades have to this date, received nothing. 

Actually, it was not one but two tenants who were assaulted.  Additionally, we have received several reports of tenants being verbally harassed by the non-union demolition workers.

Joseph Chetrit’s Chelsea Hotel: History and Tenants Under Attack

Since we haven’t posted on the blog in awhile, we thought it was time for an update.  Non-union workers have been busy on almost all floors, completely gutting all unoccupied rooms.  The demolished rooms, now just empty shells, include, on our floor alone: the room where Madonna filmed her Sex book in 1980; the last residence of Thomas Wolfe (seen at right), where he wrote You Can’t Go Home Again in 1938; Dee Dee Ramone’s last room at the Chelsea; and the tiny room where Beat writer Herbert Huncke was living when he died in 1996.  The room where Arthur Miller lived for ten years in the 1960s, writing his great play "After the Fall, has also been wiped out with no regard for its historical importance.

            The construction has been extremely disruptive: residents have been treated to a virtually non-stop assault of noise.  Clouds of dust (which have tested positive for carcinogens) swirl through our halls, and carts of rubble block our doorways.  Several apartments have been flooded, and some residents have had their electricity cut off for days at a stretch.

            Eviction attempts have heated up, with several new cases being brought against tenants, including families with young children.

            We also recently found out that Chetrit’s silent partner in the demolition of the Chelsea is none other than scandal-plagued hotelier Ed Scheetz, whose girlfriend was discovered dead of an overdose, at his penthouse in the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel.

            Finally, on December 8, at approximately 2 PM, tenant activist Arthur Nash was assaulted on the third floor of the hotel for showing union reps around the building and for attempting to film the non-union demolition crew (both activities protected by the First Amendment).  Approximately ten minutes later, when Nash was leaving the hotel, he found that at least a dozen workers were lying in wait for him outside.  They verbally abused him and his girlfriend, chasing them down 23^rd Street to 7^th Ave., where they assaulted Nash again.  When I attempted to intervene, I was attacked as well.  Both Nash and I were treated at Beth Israel and released.  

Ed Hamilton

Piri Thomas, Author of “Down These Mean Streets Dies” at 83

Piri Thomas, born John Peter Thomas in New York City's Harlem Hospital in1928, grew up poor in Spanish Harlem and wrote the now classic best-selling autobiography “Down these Mean Streets” about his childhood there.   Among his other works are: "Savior, Savior Hold My Hand", "Seven Long Times" and "Stories from El Barrio".   A true artist and social activist who worked with drug addicts, Piri is a former Chelsea Hotel resident and a friend of the late painter Herbert Gentry. 

Thomas married Betty Gross in the 1970s. This second marriage lasted until Betty's death in 1985. Betty Gross is the daughter of Mr. Joseph Gross, one of the three partners who bought the Hotel.  The other partners were David Bard and Julius Krauss.

Thomas’s last years were clouded by a legal dispute with his step-son, Chelsea Hotel minority shareholder David Elder.  Basically, Thomas was the beneficiary of a trust administered by Elder, granting Thomas the income from 16 shares (8%) of Chelsea Hotel stock. (The trust was established by Thomas’s wife and Elder’s mother, Betty Gross.)

In 2002, Elder withheld  $1.2 million dollars in hotel income from Thomas, claiming that the money was part of the principle of the shares.  Elder had a vested interest in doing so, since upon Thomas’ death the shares reverted to him.  While the courts ultimately decided in Thomas’ favor, the dispute went on for years and no doubt cost Thomas much in mental anguish and money to resolve.  The dispute can be seen as a kind of warm up round for the main event, which was Elder and Marlene Krauss’s hostile takeover of the Chelsea Hotel and subsequent ousting of long-time manager Stanley Bard. 

NY Times obit -

The Chelsea Hotel Under the Reign of Joseph Chetrit

If you learned about the ongoing struggle to save the Chelsea Hotel from today's Morning Edition of NPR, welcome.  And, in case the NPR piece left you with the impression that the Chelsea's troubles were a new thing, you should know that the struggle to save the Chelsea has been going on for four years now, ever since the Bards were ousted in a hostile take over.  Over 40 people have been evicted in those years, as a dedicated group of activists have struggled to maintain the Chelsea as a haven for the arts.  There is a lot of information about the Bring Back the Bards campaign on this blog, but in this post we'll talk about what's been happening since the Chelsea Hotel was sold to a group of investors led by Joe Chetrit. 

Chetrit's first move when he took over was to bust the union and to hire non-union workers to manage the desk and clean the hotel.  We now have a skeleton staff and although they keep the place reasonably clean there is no engineer at night, which leads to problems when the water gets turned off.  They've taken all of the art down from the walls of the Hotel, including, the more valuable paintings by artists such as Larry Rivers, Donald Baechler, and Phillip Taaffe.  Although some of these paintings belong to tenants at the Hotel, and were simply on loan to the Hotel, tenants have been required to prove ownership in order to get back their paintings (and as far as we know no one has managed to reclaim their paintings as yet).  And, of course, most obvious to outsiders the Hotel is now closed to tourists.  So if you stop by they will throw you out. 

There have been two evicitions that we know of since Chetrit took over the building bringing to 42 the total number of evictions since the Bard family was ousted.  We expect more to come, as tenants have been receiving a lot of hostile certified mail, including various pay up notices. Also many tenants have had their rent checks refused.  This is a common tactic of harassment used by NYC landlords, and though a judge will eventually order them to accept the checks in most cases, it allows them to get tenants in court. This is a tactic that is most effective against the elderly who may not understand that their rent has not been paid and may spend the money. 

The Chelsea Hotel is now in the process of being "gently renovated," to quote Kaufman.  Workers have been gutting the East wing of the 7th Floor for the past few weeks.  This wing was probably chosen because there are no remaining tenants on that wing, the last being Willem Van Es who died tragically in December 2009. Past tenants of this wing include: William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, John Giorno, Michel Auder & Viva,  Ethan Hawke, Librettist Arnold Weinstein, William Balcom, Jacques Stern, Gus Hall and Ben Lucien Burman.   (Thanks to Sherill Tippins for the list.) We have not received too many complaints about noise or dust, though one tenant was flooded as the result of the construction. (Dedicated readers of this blog can probably guess that it was none other than tenant activist Arthur Nash, way down on the 2nd floor.) From what we've seen the work seems to show little regard for the historical integrity of the Hotel.  It's anyones guess as to which wing of the Hotel will fall prey to the jackhammer next although, as Chetrit has 77 million dollars in loans to pay back, he is probably on a pretty tight schedule.  He has been unloading a lot of properties lately and should have some ready money at hand.