Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
We Got Inside The Hotel Chelsea Yesterday, Here's What We Saw
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 1, 2012
Modified May 1, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 14
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 1, 2012
Modified May 1, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Yesterday we were invited to the Hotel Chelsea to check out an art show (more photos and commentary on that later this week), and while there tried to get a closer look at the current state of things outside of the one room we were invited to. The landmarked hotel has been undergoing changes that no one seems to support (no one that doesn't currently have stake in it)—residents have been practically forced out, rooms have been gutted, and a rooftop bar may soon be coming to the gorgeous oasis above 23rd Street, which is still home to a handful of people. (Yes, people live on the roof.)
Click through for what our photographer Sam Horine saw while inside—he tells us, "the vibe was depressing—very dark and dusty in the hallways... all the doors had plastic over them to keep out the dust. You could tell that the management had just quit doing anything for the long term residents a long time ago in an effort to encourage them to leave." A security guard came along soon after and told him he could only go to the one room that he signed in to visit, and escorted him back there.
For a look at what the hotel looked like in 2007, just as things were about to change, check out our guided tour with Stanley Bard, who managed the place and helped build the community there for decades. And here's some new video—courtesy of Arthur Nash—of the rooftop's current state, showing both the tentant's gardens, and the area where the new owners would like to build out a bar/lounge.
Tagged
chelsea hotel
hotel chlelsea
inside
photographs
roof
rooftop
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Published Oct 8, 2026 at 11:10 a.m. ET
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
If you're playing tourist in your own town, this is an in-demand option.
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Banned books and Winnie the Pooh: October in NYC libraries
By
Alec Hamilton
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .