Finally, some good news for the Chelsea community! The above quote comes from minority shareholder David Elder, and guests and residents alike will be lining up in the lobby starting at 8:00 AM on Monday morning to take him up on his generous offer.
Seriously, though, hello and a warm welcome to Page 6 Magazine readers. (The artice will be available online Monday) You 
can find more about the Chelsea Hotel, its famous artists past and present, and about the recent conflict, on this blog—probably more than you ever wanted to know, in fact. [Meet the Principles: humorous introductions to Marlene Krauss, David Elder, and Glennon Travis]
As Annie Karni reports in her perceptive article, we are supposed to have an actual manager now, but I’m skeptical because the place is still a Godforsaken nut house (and not in the good sense, like it was, for instance, in the sixties). In his fifty years at the helm, Stanley was always at the front desk to address residents’ concerns. Where on earth is this British bloke Andrew Tilley?
Karni did a good job in reporting the basic story of the Chelsea’s recent troubles (and it’s a complex tale, to be sure), but I have a couple of corrections:
1. Stanley Bard is the majority shareholder, owning 68% of the hotel. I know this sounds weird, but it was the minority shareholders, Krauss and Elder, who somehow got a judge to agree to let them manage the hotel
2. Also, BD Hotels was in charge for about 10 months (rather than they 2 months reported in Karni’s article), long enough to transform the vibe of the hotel from easygoing bohemian to paranoid schizophrenic.
Basically, what happened here at the Chelsea is that longtime manager Stanley Bard was ousted in a hostile take over by the minority shareholders, Marlene Krauss and David Elder. They alleged that Stanley was engaged in certain nebulous financial improprieties (such as accepting paintings in lieu of rent), but what it boils down to is a simple matter of greed: in New York’s super-heated real estate climate, they thought they could make a killing by running off the rent stabilized tenants of the Chelsea and converting the place into a boutique hotel where they could rent rooms for $500 a night. (They were wrong about that. They are unwilling to commit the money to fix the place up, and in any event they are having a devil of a time getting rid of the tenants who have decided to stand up for their rights.) It’s the same basic thing that’s happening in building after building across New York City.
Because we believe he was unjustly ousted, and in order to preserve an important cultural icon from destruction, the residents of the Chelsea Hotel call for the return of “Grumpy old man” Stanley and his son David. Although we are willing to give Andrew Tilley a chance, we as yet have no indication that he is up for the job. He has to stand up at the desk and actually run the hotel, and that includes talking to the press. And why won’t Marlene Krauss give the press a comment? She’s the one in charge. (Elder is just a patsy.) Tilley should also call a meeting of the Tenant’s Association to introduce himself and explain his plans for the hotel. But how much you wanna bet he won’t do it?
We have been getting a lot of e-mail lately from potential guests saying they’d rather not get into the middle of this messy conflict, but we say, come on down to the Chelsea! You’re our kind of people—not like this guy in Karni’s article who complains about Janis Joplin’s wash rag. We want people who share our dreams and visions about art and the creative life, not soulless yuppies. Make a sign that says BRING BACK THE BARDS! and voice your opinion loud and clear when you check in at the front desk. And don’t forget to get in the David Elder courtesy line first thing Monday morning. -- Ed Hamilton
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