Editing Hotel Chelsea (section)

== Architecture ==
The Hotel Chelsea was designed by [[Philip Gengembre Hubert|Philip Hubert]]<ref name="Nevius 2009">{{cite inside|page=151}}</ref> of the firm of [[Hubert, Pirrson & Company]].<ref name="NYCL-0215">{{cite report |url=https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0215.pdf |title=Hotel Chelsea |date=March 15, 1966 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |access-date=October 16, 2023 |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114154547/http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/0215.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The style has been described variously as [[Queen Anne style architecture in the United States|Queen Anne Revival]], [[Victorian Gothic architecture|Victorian Gothic]], or a mixture of the two.<ref name="aia4" /><ref name="Tippins p. 5">{{Harvnb|Tippins|2013|p=5|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="Burke 1983">{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|153681241}} |title=Manhattan Landmarks 100 Years Old: Hotel Chelsea: The Artist's Address |last=Burke |first=Cathy |date=December 18, 1983 |page=B8 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> It was one of the first Victorian Gothic buildings to be erected in New York City.<ref name="Hawes p. 59">{{harvnb|Hawes|1993|ps=.|page=59}}</ref> At the time of its completion, it was the city's tallest apartment building<ref name="Hawes p. 59" /> and one of the tallest structures in Manhattan,<ref name="Vigoda 1996">{{Cite news |title=A Peaceful Piece of N.Y.C.: Chelsea, on Manhattan's West Side, Has Exquisite Architecture, Interesting Shops, Lost of History. It's Quiet, Too. Sometimes, Not Even a Mouse Stirs |last=Vigoda |first=Ralph |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |date=January 7, 1996 |page=T.6 |id={{ProQuest|1841194603}}}}</ref>{{Efn|Although some early sources claimed that the Chelsea was Manhattan's tallest structure until 1902 (when the [[Flatiron Building]] was finished),<ref name="The Troy Record 1946" /><ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|151848682}} |title=10-Story Hotel Once 'Highest In Manhattan' |date=March 7, 1946 |page=3 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref name="Karlen 1983" /> the Flatiron Building was never the tallest building in Manhattan.<ref>{{cite book |last=Korom |first=Joseph J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j1E07CeLNWcC&pg=PA219 |title=Skyscraper Facades of the Gilded Age: Fifty-One Extravagant Designs, 1875–1910 |publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-7864-9326-5 |series=Academic & Nonfiction Books anthology |page=219 |access-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-date=June 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606224337/https://books.google.com/books?id=j1E07CeLNWcC&pg=PA219 |url-status=live}}</ref>}} at approximately {{Convert|180|ft}} tall.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chelsea Hotel |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/115195/chelsea-hotel-new-york-city-ny-usa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215025616/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/115195/chelsea-hotel-new-york-city-ny-usa |archive-date=February 15, 2020 |access-date=October 16, 2023 |url-status=usurped |website=Emporis}}</ref> According to the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]], the Chelsea's design was evocative of the demolished Spanish Flats on [[Central Park South]].<ref name="NYCL-0215" />

=== Facade ===
[[File:ChelseaHotelExterior.jpg|thumb|Exterior detail]]
The front facade of the hotel, on 23rd Street, is 11 stories high<ref name="NYCL-0215" /><ref name="NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1977|ps=.|p=2}}</ref><ref name="The New York Times 1914">{{Cite news |date=July 12, 1914 |title=New York Apartments Little Changed in 30 Years; In Essentials the Apartment Houses of Manhattan Are Today as They Were in 1884, When Philip G. Hubert Designed the First|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1914/07/12/archives/new-york-apartments-little-changed-in-30-years-in-essentials-the.html |access-date=October 16, 2023 |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021215829/https://www.nytimes.com/1914/07/12/archives/new-york-apartments-little-changed-in-30-years-in-essentials-the.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and is divided vertically into 25 [[Bay (architecture)|bays]].<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> The rear of the hotel rises to a height of 12 stories.<ref name="The New York Times 1914" /> The 23rd Street facade is made of red brick.<ref name="Karmin 2011a">{{Cite news |last=Karmin |first=Craig |date=July 2, 2011 |title=Hotel Chelsea Set for a Redo|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304584004576420071761802168.html |access-date=October 14, 2023|archive-date=December 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111216164838/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304584004576420071761802168.html? |url-status=live}}</ref> It is grouped into five sections, with projecting [[pavilion]]s at the western end, center, and eastern end of the facade. These pavilions flank two groups of recessed bays.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> The main entrance within the central pavilion remains largely intact, although the storefronts on either side have been modified over the years.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> There are several brass plaques next to the main entrance, commemorating notable residents,<ref name="Malbin 2000">{{Cite news |last=Malbin |first=Peter |date=April 16, 2000 |title=If You're Thinking of Living In/Chelsea; Strikingly Changed, But Still Diverse|page=344|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/2000/04/16/753173.html?pageNumber=344 |access-date=December 29, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Liebman |first=Lisa |date=January 30, 2020 |title=The Hotel Chelsea Keeps on Keeping On |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/the-hotel-chelsea-keeps-on-keeping-on/ |access-date=October 14, 2023 |website=The Village Voice |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021215829/https://www.villagevoice.com/the-hotel-chelsea-keeps-on-keeping-on/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and another plaque mentioning that the building is on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="Newsday 1978">{{cite news |date=November 5, 1978 |title=The Aging Chelsea Still Draws Famous, Bizarre |page=23Q|newspaper=[[Newsday]]|id={{ProQuest|964389533}}}}</ref>

On the upper floors, the brick is interspersed with white stone bands.<ref name="Tippins p. 4">{{Harvnb|Tippins|2013|p=4|ps=.}}</ref> The hotel has flower-ornamented iron balconies on its second through eighth stories,<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> which were constructed by J.B. and J.M. Cornell.<ref name="nycland">{{cite nycland |page=70}}</ref><ref name="aia4" /><ref name="NPS p. 3">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1977|ps=.|p=3}}</ref> These balconies were intended as "light balconies, after the Paris fashion";<ref name="The Manufacturer and Builder: a Practical Journal of Industrial Progress 1883">{{Cite magazine |date=February 1, 1883 |title=Building Intelligence: New York City Building Items Miscellaneous |magazine=The Manufacturer and Builder: a Practical Journal of Industrial Progress |volume=15 |issue=2 |page=32 |id={{ProQuest|88900857}}}}</ref> according to author Sherill Tippins, the balconies were meant to "add charm to the lower floors".<ref name="Tippins p. 4" /> The balconies were also intended to indicate that the interiors were ornately decorated.<ref name="Hawes p. 59" /> [[French doors]] lead from some apartments to the balconies.<ref name="NYCL-0215" />

The building is topped by a high [[mansard roof]]. The central pavilion has a pyramidal [[slate]] roof.<ref name="NYCL-0215" /><ref name="NPS p. 2" /> There are brick chimneys on either side of the pyramidal-roofed pavilion. In addition, the pavilions on either end of the facade are topped by brick [[gable]]s with large arched windows.<ref name="NYCL-0215" /> The remainder of the roof features [[dormer window]]s and additional brick chimneys.<ref name="Tippins p. 5" /> Atop the roof was a brick-floored space, which could be adapted into a roof garden or promenade.<ref name="Archard 1885">{{Cite news |last=Archard |first=Eliza |date=January 4, 1885 |title=A Home Club House: Description of the "Chelsea," the Model Co-operative Home Building – a Slice of the Golden Age Building in the Air |page=16 |work=Courier-Journal |id={{ProQuest|1037447128}}}}</ref><ref name="Tippins p. 6">{{Harvnb|Tippins|2013|p=6|ps=.}}</ref> The center of the roof was interspersed with [[hip roof]]s, beneath which were duplex apartments; residents of these duplexes had direct access to the roof.<ref name="Tippins p. 6" />

=== Structural and mechanical features ===
The Hotel Chelsea has thick [[load-bearing wall]]s made of masonry, which measure {{convert|3|ft|m||adj=}} thick at their bottoms<ref name="Tippins p. 5" /><ref name="Dowd 1983" /> and taper to {{Convert|20|in|m}} at their tops. This allowed the [[superstructure]] to support the weight of two additional stories if the building were expanded.<ref name="Archard 1885" /> The walls support floor beams made of [[wrought iron]]; these floor beams are not supported by intermediate columns, creating large column-free spaces.<ref name="NYCL-0215" /> The floor beams were covered with plaster to prevent fire from spreading.<ref name="Archard 1885" /><ref name="Tippins p. 5" /> As another fireproofing measure, the hotel used as little wood as possible.<ref name="Archard 1885" /> Ceilings measured {{convert|12|to|14|ft}} high.<ref name="Stephenson 1963">{{Cite news |last=Stephenson |first=Francis M. |date=April 21, 1963 |title=A Salute to the Dowager of 23d Street |page=5 |newspaper=[[New York Daily News]]|via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-a-salute-to-the-dowager-of-23/133570891/ |access-date=October 17, 2023 |archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021215829/https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-a-salute-to-the-dowager-of-23/133570891/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

The basement measured up to {{Convert|30|ft}} deep and housed the kitchen, laundry, refrigerators, coal rooms, engines, and machinery for gas-powered and electric light.<ref name="New-York Tribune 1884" /> As planned, the hotel had three passenger elevators and two steam-powered freight lifts.<ref name="Archard 1885" /><ref name="The Manufacturer and Builder: a Practical Journal of Industrial Progress 1883" /> When it was completed in 1884, the hotel had [[speaking tube]]s; pressurized steam; a telephone in each room, connecting to the hotel manager's office; and 1,800 lights powered by either gas or electricity.<ref name="Archard 1885" /><ref name="Tippins p. 5" /> The hotel contained then-innovative features such as electricity, steam heating, and hot and cold water.<ref name="Detroit Free Press 1884" /> [[Dumbwaiter]]s transported food from the basement kitchen to each floor.<ref name="Tippins p. 29">{{Harvnb|Tippins|2013|p=29|ps=.}}</ref>

=== Public areas ===
When the hotel opened in 1884, the ground floor was divided into an entrance hall, four storefronts, and a restaurant for tenants who did not have their own kitchen.<ref name="Archard 1885" /><ref name="Detroit Free Press 1884">{{Cite news |date=February 29, 1884 |title="How to Live": the Question That Agitates Dwellers in Boston and New York |page=8 |work=Detroit Free Press |id={{ProQuest|561366583}}}}</ref> The lobby was originally furnished with a marble floor and mahogany [[wainscoting]]. On the left wall of the lobby was an elaborate [[fireplace mantel]],<ref name="Tippins p. 5" /> which remained intact in the late 20th century.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> To the right of the lobby was a reception room decorated in white maple, a plush-and-velvet carpet, and old-gold surfaces.<ref name="Archard 1885" /> Three interconnected dining rooms, reserved for residents, were placed behind the lobby.<ref name="Tippins pp. 5–6">{{Harvnb|Tippins|2013|pp=5–6|ps=.}}</ref> These rooms had decorations such as [[stained glass]], carved gargoyles, and [[Fleur-de-lis|fleurs-de-lis]].<ref name="Tippins p. 31">{{Harvnb|Tippins|2013|p=31|ps=.}}</ref> Next to the lobby was a manager's office, whose ceiling had gold trimmings and a mural with clouds and angels.<ref name="Hawes p. 59" /> There was also a barbershop,<ref name="Gray 1998">{{Cite news |last=Gray |first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Gray (architectural historian)|date=February 15, 1998 |title=Streetscapes/The Chelsea Hotel at 222 West 23d Street; Bohemian and Ornate, It Began as a Co-op in 1884|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/15/realestate/streetscapes-chelsea-hotel-222-west-23d-street-bohemian-ornate-it-began-op-1884.html |access-date=October 14, 2023 |archive-date=November 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121164230/https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/15/realestate/streetscapes-chelsea-hotel-222-west-23d-street-bohemian-ornate-it-began-op-1884.html |url-status=live}}</ref> as well as a restaurant, cafe, laundry room, billiards room, bakery, fish-and-meat shop, and grocery on the ground floor and basement.<ref name="Archard 1885" /><ref name="Tippins pp. 5–6" /> Hotel staff lived in another building behind the main hotel,<ref name="New-York Tribune 1884" /><ref name="Archard 1885" /> connected to it by a tunnel.<ref name="Archard 1885" /><ref name="Tippins pp. 5–6" />

As of 2022, the hotel's lobby is decorated with [[Inlay|inlaid]] ceilings and mosaic-tile floors.<ref name="Shollenbarger 2022">{{cite web |last=Shollenbarger |first=Maria |date=May 22, 2022 |title=The rebirth of Hotel Chelsea – and three other legendary hotels |url=https://www.ft.com/content/33dd4e80-c3b7-428b-8046-10f848bb1fc3 |access-date=October 13, 2023 |website=Financial Times |archive-date=May 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529233949/https://www.ft.com/content/33dd4e80-c3b7-428b-8046-10f848bb1fc3 |url-status=live}}</ref> The lobby contains furniture in various colors, while the front desk is clad with purple marble. In addition, various paintings by residents are hung on the beige-pink walls, and the lobby's ceiling is decorated with frescoes, roses, and garlands.<ref name="Moore 2022">{{cite web |last=Moore |first=Andrew |date=October 11, 2022 |title=West Side Stories |url=https://www.worldofinteriors.com/story/the-chelsea-hotel-new-york |access-date=October 13, 2023 |website=The World Of Interiors |archive-date=May 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230531004626/https://www.worldofinteriors.com/story/the-chelsea-hotel-new-york |url-status=live}}</ref> Adjacent to the lobby is the Lobby Bar, which contains mosaic-tile floors, a marble bar, art from former residents, and old chandeliers.<ref name="Rahmanan 2022">{{cite web |last=Rahmanan |first=Anna |date=July 8, 2022 |title=The new bar at Hotel Chelsea looks absolutely beautiful |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-new-bar-at-hotel-chelsea-looks-absolutely-beautiful-070822 |access-date=October 13, 2023 |website=Time Out New York |archive-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808050517/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/the-new-bar-at-hotel-chelsea-looks-absolutely-beautiful-070822 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Tauer 2022">{{cite web |last=Tauer |first=Kristen |date=July 7, 2022 |title=Hotel Chelsea's Elegant Lobby Bar Pays Homage to Hotel Bars Around the World |url=https://wwd.com/eye/lifestyle/hotel-chelsea-lobby-bar-pays-homage-to-iconic-hotel-bars-around-the-world-1235245091/ |access-date=October 14, 2023 |website=Women's Wear Daily |archive-date=May 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230515185537/http://wwd.com/eye/lifestyle/hotel-chelsea-lobby-bar-pays-homage-to-iconic-hotel-bars-around-the-world-1235245091/ |url-status=live}}</ref> This bar, formerly storage space, has several pieces of [[mid-century modern]] furniture<ref name="Moore 2022" /> and vintage furnishings such as lamps.<ref name="Tauer 2022" /> Other decorative elements include [[skylight]]s, floor tiles, brick walls, and [[Trellis (architecture)|trellises]] covered with vegetation.<ref name="Moore 2022" />

Next to the lobby is the [[El Quijote (restaurant)|El Quijote]] restaurant,<ref name="Wells 2022">{{Cite news |last=Wells |first=Pete|author-link=Pete Wells|date=April 12, 2022 |title=El Quijote Tilts Back Toward Its Earlier Glamour|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/12/dining/el-quijote-review-hotel-chelsea.html |access-date=October 13, 2023 |archive-date=March 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307172548/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/12/dining/el-quijote-review-hotel-chelsea.html |url-status=live}}</ref> which has occupied the hotel since 1955.<ref name="Paddleford 1956">{{cite news |last=Paddleford |first=Clementine |date=June 30, 1956 |title=Exciting Spanish Food On Menu of El Quijote |page=9 |newspaper=[[New York Herald Tribune]]|id={{ProQuest|1327602302}}}}</ref> The restaurant is decorated with a marble terrazzo floor, a rough-hewn ceiling,<ref name="Moore 2022" /> red-vinyl dining booths, and chandeliers.<ref name="Perrottet 2022">{{Cite news |last=Perrottet |first=Tony |date=September 28, 2022 |title=El Quijote—a Kitsch Masterpiece—Is Open Again in Manhattan's Hotel Chelsea|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/hotel-chelseas-el-quijote-is-open-again-kitschy-as-ever-11664379300 |access-date=October 13, 2023|archive-date=September 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928173318/https://www.wsj.com/articles/hotel-chelseas-el-quijote-is-open-again-kitschy-as-ever-11664379300 |url-status=live}}</ref> Among the decorations are a series of murals depicting scenes from the book ''[[Don Quixote]]'', as well as oil paintings.<ref name="Moore 2022" /><ref name="Wells 2022" /> El Quijote contains a private bar next to its main dining room.<ref name="Shollenbarger 2022" /><ref name="Wells 2022" /> Prior to 2018, the restaurant sat 220 people;<ref name="Fabricant 2022">{{Cite news |last=Fabricant |first=Florence|author-link=Florence Fabricant|date=February 8, 2022 |title=El Quijote in the Hotel Chelsea Reopens|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/dining/nyc-restaurant-news.html |access-date=October 13, 2023 |archive-date=March 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230319170758/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/08/dining/nyc-restaurant-news.html |url-status=live}}</ref> the Dulcinea and Cervantes rooms at the rear comprised nearly half of the restaurant's seating capacity.<ref name="Wells 2022" /> These rooms were removed in a 2022 renovation, which also reduced the restaurant's capacity to 45<ref name="Perrottet 2022" /> or 65.<ref name="Fabricant 2022" /> Since 2023, the hotel has also contained the Café Chelsea [[bistro]],<ref name="Taylor 2023">{{cite web |last=Taylor |first=Elise |date=July 14, 2023 |title=This Bastille Day, Celebrate at a New French Bistro Hotspot: Café Chelsea |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/new-french-bistro-hotspot-cafe-chelsea |access-date=May 6, 2024 |website=Vogue |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Fenker |first=Deborah |date=July 17, 2023 |title=New Restaurant Opens in Chelsea, a Labor of Love That Took Three Years |url=https://www.chelseanewsny.com/news/new-restaurant-opens-in-chelsea-a-labor-of-love-that-took-three-years-JI2596391 |access-date=May 6, 2024 |website=www.chelseanewsny.com}}</ref> located within three rooms.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sutherland-Namako |first=Amber |date=September 25, 2023 |title=Café Chelsea restaurant at NYC's Hotel Chelsea |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/restaurants/cafe-chelsea |access-date=May 6, 2024 |website=Time Out New York}}</ref> The bistro includes vintage decorations, some taken from the [[Lord & Taylor Building]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Suqi|first=Rima|date=2024-05-03|title=10 New York Destinations for Design Lovers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/03/arts/design/new-york-design-destinations.html|access-date=2024-05-06|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

[[File:Chelseahotelstairs.JPG|thumb|Art fills the staircase of the Hotel Chelsea.]]

Also at ground level is a [[mom-and-pop store]] named Chelsea Guitars<ref name="Vadukul 2022">{{Cite news |last=Vadukul |first=Alex |date=November 25, 2022 |title=A Scruffy Guitar Shop Survives the Chelsea Hotel's Chic Makeover|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/25/style/chelsea-hotel-chelsea-guitars.html |access-date=October 13, 2023 |archive-date=July 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712232605/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/25/style/chelsea-hotel-chelsea-guitars.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and a private event space known as the Bard Room.<ref name="Rahmanan 2022" /><ref name="Condé Nast Traveler 2019">{{cite web |date=August 2, 2019 |title=Hotel Chelsea — Hotel Review |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/hotels/new-york/hotel-chelsea |access-date=October 13, 2023 |website=Condé Nast Traveler |archive-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513211925/https://www.cntraveler.com/hotels/new-york/hotel-chelsea |url-status=live}}</ref> The main staircase, at the center of the hotel, is illuminated by a rooftop skylight<ref name="Tippins p. 5" /> and is only accessible to guests.<ref name="Rich 2013">{{cite magazine |last=Rich |first=Nathaniel |date=October 8, 2013 |title=An Oral History of the Chelsea Hotel: Where the Walls Still Talk |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/10/chelsea-hotel-oral-history |access-date=October 14, 2023 |magazine=Vanity Fair |archive-date=August 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230831220518/https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2013/10/chelsea-hotel-oral-history |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Chamberlain 2007">{{Cite news |last=Chamberlain |first=Lisa|ref=none|date=June 19, 2007 |title=Change at the Chelsea, Shelter of the Arts|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/nyregion/19chelsea.html |access-date=October 13, 2023 |archive-date=July 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230706014437/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/nyregion/19chelsea.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The walls of the staircase were once lined with photos created by residents.<ref name="Leve 2007">{{Cite news |last=Leve |first=Ariel |date=May 5, 2007 |title=Travel Edition New York Storeys |page=W05 |work=The Advertiser |id={{ProQuest|355057025}}}}</ref><ref name="Susman 2009">{{Cite news|last=Susman |first=Tina |date=June 25, 2009 |title=Bohemian tenants shown the door |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-25-na-hometown-chelsea25-story.html |access-date=October 13, 2023|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|archive-date=January 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123111727/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jun-25-na-hometown-chelsea25-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The staircase originally had iron railings and marble treads.<ref name="Tippins p. 5" /><ref name="Archard 1885" /> The center of the building is surmounted by a pyramid accessed by a narrow wooden staircase.<ref name="Usborne 2009">{{cite web |last=Usborne |first=David |date=January 4, 2009 |title=Boho blues: The battle to save the Chelsea Hotel |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/boho-blues-the-battle-to-save-the-chelsea-hotel-1219707.html |access-date=October 13, 2023 |website=The Independent |archive-date=July 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230706014437/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/boho-blues-the-battle-to-save-the-chelsea-hotel-1219707.html |url-status=live}}</ref> There was also an elevator cage, decorated with [[Rosette (design)|rosettes]] that matched the exterior decorations.<ref name="Hawes p. 59" /> The upper stories include a gym and a rooftop spa.<ref name="Moore 2022" />

=== Guestrooms and apartments ===

==== Original units ====
The Chelsea was among the first buildings in the city with [[duplex apartment]]s and penthouse apartments.<ref name="NYCL-0215" /><ref name="The New York Times 1978">{{cite news|date=January 14, 1978 |title=One Dies and Hundreds Are Routed. As Blaze Damages Chelsea Hotel |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/14/archives/one-dies-and-hundreds-are-routed-as-blaze-damages-chelsea-hotel.html |access-date=October 20, 2023 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021215829/https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/14/archives/one-dies-and-hundreds-are-routed-as-blaze-damages-chelsea-hotel.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Above the ground floor, there were originally either 90,<ref name="Archard 1885" /> 97,<ref name="New-York Tribune 1884" /><ref name="Gross 1984">{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|176138297}} |title=Stanley Bard's mission: To make Chelsea Hotel the greatest |last=Gross |first=Alan |date=July 8, 1984 |page=I3 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> or 100 apartments in total.<ref name="Gray 1998" /> There were ten apartments on each story,<ref name="Detroit Free Press 1884" /> ranging from {{Convert|800|to|3000|ft2}}.<ref name="Tippins p. 28">{{Harvnb|Tippins|2013|p=28|ps=.}}</ref> Each floor had a mixture of small and large apartments, so residents of different socioeconomic classes could reside on the same story.<ref name="Tippins p. 28" /><ref name="NPR 2011">{{cite web |date=October 3, 2011 |title=At NYC's Chelsea Hotel, The End Of An Artistic Era? |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/10/03/140294070/at-nycs-chelsea-hotel-the-end-of-an-artistic-era |access-date=October 13, 2023 |publisher=NPR |archive-date=October 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012031009/https://www.npr.org/2011/10/03/140294070/at-nycs-chelsea-hotel-the-end-of-an-artistic-era |url-status=live}}</ref> Sources disagree on whether the largest apartments had eight,<ref name="Detroit Free Press 1884" /> ten,<ref name="Archard 1885" /> or twelve rooms.<ref name="New-York Tribune 1884" /><ref name="Hawes p. 59" /><ref name="Tippins p. 28" /> Old floor plans show that the apartments were arranged along a single west–east corridor on each floor;<ref name="Gray 1998" /> these corridors measured up to {{convert|8|ft}} wide.<ref name="Tippins p. 29" /> The largest apartments occupied either end of the hotel and had at least four bedrooms, while mid-sized two- and three-bedroom units were placed next to these. The smallest units, targeted at unmarried men and women, were arranged near the stairs and elevators at the center of the building.<ref name="Tippins p. 28" />

A variety of styles and materials were used in the apartments to fit each tenant's taste.<ref name="Tippins p. 31" /> Originally, the interiors were ornately decorated. The [[Dado (architecture)|dadoes]] and some of the floors were made of marble, and there was also hardwood floors and doors. In addition, the fireplace mantels were made of [[onyx]], and the fireplaces contained [[andiron]]s with rosettes.<ref name="Hawes p. 59" />

Every apartment had its own bathroom,<ref name="Archard 1885" /><ref name="Detroit Free Press 1884" /><ref name="The Manufacturer and Builder: a Practical Journal of Industrial Progress 1882">{{Cite magazine |date=November 1, 1882 |title=Building Intelligence: New York City Building Items Miscellaneous |magazine=The Manufacturer and Builder: a Practical Journal of Industrial Progress |volume=14 |issue=11 |page=248 |id={{ProQuest|88884079}}}}</ref> and many units also had servants' bedrooms.<ref name="Hawes p. 59" /> Only the largest apartments had kitchens; everyone else received meals from the restaurants or a caterer.<ref name="New-York Tribune 1884" /><ref name="The Manufacturer and Builder: a Practical Journal of Industrial Progress 1882" /> There were 67 apartments with kitchens, each of which had a refrigerator as well as a stove powered by coal, gas, or steam.<ref name="Detroit Free Press 1884" /> One of the larger apartments, suite 920, belonged to the hotel's manager and consisted of three rooms with high ceilings.{{sfn|Tippins|2013|p=102}} The apartments on the tenth and eleventh floors were intended for artists,<ref name="New-York Tribune 1884" /><ref name="Hawes p. 59" /> taking advantage of sunlight from the north.<ref name="Hawes p. 59" /><ref name="Tippins p. 27">{{Harvnb|Tippins|2013|p=27|ps=.}}</ref> These apartments were arranged as duplexes, with artists' studios on the upper level and bedrooms on the lower level,<ref name="Stephenson 1963" /> and were in high demand when the Chelsea opened.<ref name="Hawes p. 59" /> The twelfth floor contained a space accessible only from the rooftop promenade; this was intended as a clinic.<ref name="New-York Tribune 1884" /><ref name="Archard 1885" /><ref name="Tippins p. 6" /> Tenants could also use a ballroom under the roof.<ref name="Hawes p. 59" />

==== Subsequent changes ====
[[File:JuniorSuite.JPG|thumb|A suite in the hotel prior to its 2010s and 2020s renovation]]
By the 1980s, the hotel had been subdivided into 400 rooms, many of which retained their original thick walls and fireplaces.<ref name="Dowd 1983">{{Cite news |last=Dowd |first=Maureen|author-link=Maureen Dowd|date=November 21, 1983 |title=The Chelsea Hotel, 'Kooky But Nice', Turns 100|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/21/nyregion/the-chelsea-hotel-kooky-buy-nice-turns-100.html |access-date=October 13, 2023 |archive-date=September 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906023733/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/21/nyregion/the-chelsea-hotel-kooky-buy-nice-turns-100.html |url-status=live}}</ref> This was reduced by the 2000s to about 240<ref name="Leve 2007" /><ref name="Joyce 2009">{{cite web |last=Joyce |first=Amanda |date=October 25, 2009 |title=True N.Y. grit at Hotel Chelsea |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2009-10-25-0910220859-story.html |access-date=October 13, 2023|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|archive-date=October 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021215830/https://www.chicagotribune.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> or 250 units (some with multiple rooms).<ref name="Chamberlain 2007" /> All of the units had a unique layout.<ref name="Karmin 2011a" /><ref name="Nathan 1993" /> The rooms were accessed via wide marble corridors and varied significantly in decorative motif.<ref name="Lee 2005">{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Denny |date=December 11, 2005 |title=10 New York Hotels for Under $250 a Night |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/travel/10-new-york-hotels-for-under-250-a-night.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221013122736/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/travel/10-new-york-hotels-for-under-250-a-night.html |archive-date=October 13, 2022 |access-date=October 15, 2023 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

Following a renovation that was completed in 2022, some decorative features, such as entry halls and doorknobs, were redesigned with monograms containing the hotel's name.<ref name="Shollenbarger 2022" /><ref name="Condé Nast Traveler 2019" /> There are approximately 155 rooms,<ref name="Condé Nast Traveler 2019" /><ref name="Moore 2022" /> divided into 125 single-room units and 30 suites;<ref name="Moore 2022" /> the largest units are two-bedroom apartments with en-suite kitchens.<ref name="Shollenbarger 2022" /> As an allusion to the Chelsea's artistic clientele, the rooms are decorated with artworks collected between the 1970s and the 1990s,<ref name="Shollenbarger 2022" /> in addition to [[Headboard (furniture)|headboards]] with splattered-paint patterns.<ref name="Moore 2022" /> Some rooms retain original fireplaces and stained glass windows.<ref name="Shollenbarger 2022" /><ref name="Condé Nast Traveler 2019" /> The guestrooms also have design features such as wooden [[nightstand]]s, closets with wallpaper, and marble-clad bathrooms.<ref name="Condé Nast Traveler 2019" /> Five of the former artists' residences are retained in the modern-day hotel, and some of the rooms have wheelchair-accessible features such as shelves and bathrooms.<ref name="Suitcase 2024">{{cite magazine|date=October 28, 2024 |title=Here's What It's Like to Stay at NYC's Iconic Hotel Chelsea |url=https://suitcasemag.com/review-hotel-chelsea-new-york-usa/ |access-date=December 2, 2024 |magazine=[[Suitcase (magazine)|Suitcase]]}}</ref>