During the last week, social studies teacher, Mr. Robert Sandler had Sherrill Tippins, author of Inside the Dream Palace: The Life and Times of the Legendary Chelsea Hotel come to his NYC History class. Sherrill taught students how the Chelsea Hotel started off in 1883 as a socialist cooperative inspired by Charles Fourier’s utopian communes in France. They learned how that community fell apart in the 20thc and it became a bohemian hotel for artists, musicians and writers. The students loved hearing stories about how cultural icons like Arthur C. Clark, Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin, Patti Smith, Jack Kerouac & Arthur Miller all lived at the hotel and created famous artworks there.
They also talked about punk rocker and Sex Pistol Sid Vicious alleged stabbing of Nancy Spungen in 1979 and how that event led to a period of decline for the famous hotel. Then we explored how the Chelsea Hotel had a renaissance in the 1980s and the current litigation between the last fifty tenants & developers who are trying to renovate the building into a boutique hotel. It was a fun & informative talk! (photos courtesy of Mr. Sandler)
