Inside the Dream Palace : the life and times of New York's legendary Chelsea Hotel

**The next best thing to having a room key to the Chelsea Hotel during each of its famous—and infamous—decades** The Chelsea Hotel, since its founding by a visionary French architect in 1884, has been an icon of American invention: a cultural dynamo and haven for the counterculture, all in one astonishing building. Sherill Tippins, author of the acclaimed __February House__, delivers a masterful and endlessly entertaining history of the Chelsea and of the successive generations of artists who have cohabited and created there, among them John Sloan, Edgar Lee Masters, Thomas Wolfe, Dylan Thomas, Arthur Miller, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Sam Shepard, Sid Vicious, and Dee Dee Ramone. Now as legendary as the artists it has housed and the countless creative collaborations it has sparked, the Chelsea has always stood as a mystery as well: Why and how did this hotel become the largest and longest-lived artists’ community in the known world? __Inside the Dream Palace__ is the intimate and definitive story.Today the Chelsea stands poised in limbo between two futures: Will this symbol of New York's artistic invention be converted to a profit-driven business catering to the top one percent? Or will the Chelsea be given a rebirth through painstaking effort by the community that loves it? Set against these two competing possibilities, __Inside the Dream Palace__ could not be more fascinating or timely. Winner of the National Award for Arts Writing : “If there were a course in Chelsea Hotel-iana, this would be the textbook” ( The New York Times ). It’s where Dylan Thomas lived his last days, Bob Dylan wrote Blonde on Blonde , and Arthur C. Clarke wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey . It is memorialized by many of its famous inhabitants: Andy Warhol filmed Chelsea Girls there, and Leonard Cohen wrote Chelsea Hotel #2 about his tryst with Janis Joplin. Since its founding by a utopian-minded French architect in 1884, New York’s Chelsea Hotel has been a hotbed of artistic invention and inspiration. Cultural luminaries from Sid Vicious to Thomas Wolfe, Edith Piaf to Patti Smith, Jean-Paul Sartre to Dee Dee Ramone—all made the Chelsea the largest and longest-lived artist community in the world. Inside the Dream Palace tells the hotel’s story, from its earliest days as a cooperative community, through its pop art, rock-and-roll, and punk periods, to its later transformations under new ownership. With this lively and fascinating history, “Tippins tells riveting stories about the Chelsea’s artists, but she also captures a much grander, and more pressing, narrative: that of the ongoing battle between art and capitalism in the city” ( The New Yorker ). “An inspired investigation into the utopian spirit of the Chelsea Hotel.” — Elle “An impossible order for any writer: Get the Chelsea’s romance down on paper and try to keep up with Patti Smith and Joni Mitchell and Arthur Miller. But Sherill Tippins’s history does a vivid job of taking you up into those seedy, splendid hallways, now gone forever.” — New York magazine “Tippins succeeds where other historians studying New York landmarks have failed: She understands that even the most splendid buildings are mere settings for the personalities that inhabit them, and wisely bypasses rote chronology for the vigor of cultural excavation.” — Time Out New York “Not only essential to the understanding of this crucial New York City—and therefore American—cultural landmark, but as majestic and populous as the edifice itself, and completely entertaining.” —Daniel Menaker, author of My Mistake Winner of the Marfield Prize, National Award for Arts Writing "Tippins tells riveting stories about the Chelsea's artists, but she also captures a much grander, and more pressing, narrative: that of the ongoing battle between art and capitalism in the city." ? The New Yorker Since its founding by a utopian-minded French architect in 1884, New York's Chelsea Hotel has been a hotbed of artistic invention and inspiration. Cultural luminaries from Bob Dylan to Sid Vicious, Thomas Wolfe to Andy Warhol, Dylan Thomas to Dee Dee Ramone ? all made the Chelsea the largest and longest-lived artists' community in the world. Inside the Dream Palace tells the hotel's story, from its earliest days as a cooperative community, through its pop art, rock-and-roll, and punk periods, to its present transformation under new ownership. By exploring what it takes to maintain a creative community and how artists have enhanced and informed New York City life, Tippins, author of the acclaimed February House , delivers a lively and masterly history of the Chelsea and those who cohabitated there. "Not only essential to the understanding of this crucial New York City ? and therefore American ? cultural landmark, but as majestic and populous as the edifice itself, and completely entertaining." ? Daniel Menaker, author of My Mistake "With her lively Inside the Dream Palace , literary biographer Sherill Tippins succeeds where other historians studying New York landmarks have failed: She understands that even the most splendid buildings are mere settings for the personalities that inhabit them, and wisely bypasses rote chronology for the vigor of cultural excavation . . . The Chelsea Hotel may face an uncertain future, but Tippins's enchanting book guarantees its renown for generations to come." ? Time Out New York The next best thing to having a room key to the Chelsea Hotel during each of its famous—and infamous—decades The Chelsea Hotel, since its founding by a visionary French architect in 1884, has been an icon of American invention: a cultural dynamo and haven for the counterculture, all in one astonishing building. Sherill Tippins, author of the acclaimed February House , delivers a masterful and endlessly entertaining history of the Chelsea and of the successive generations of artists who have cohabited and created there, among them John Sloan, Edgar Lee Masters, Thomas Wolfe, Dylan Thomas, Arthur Miller, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Sam Shepard, Sid Vicious, and Dee Dee Ramone. Now as legendary as the artists it has housed and the countless creative collaborations it has sparked, the Chelsea has always stood as a mystery as well: Why and how did this hotel become the largest and longest-lived artists’ community in the known world? Inside the Dream Palace is the intimate and definitive story. Today the Chelsea stands poised in limbo between two futures: Will this symbol of New York's artistic invention be converted to a profit-driven business catering to the top one percent? Or will the Chelsea be given a rebirth through painstaking effort by the community that loves it? Set against these two competing possibilities, Inside the Dream Palace could not be more fascinating or timely. The next best thing to having a room key to the Chelsea Hotel during each of its famousand infamousdecades The Chelsea Hotel, since its founding by a visionary French architect in 1884, has been an icon of American invention: a cultural dynamo and haven for the counterculture, all in one astonishing building. Sherill Tippins, author of the acclaimed February House , delivers a masterful and endlessly entertaining history of the Chelsea and of the successive generations of artists who have cohabited and created there, among them John Sloan, Edgar Lee Masters, Thomas Wolfe, Dylan Thomas, Arthur Miller, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Sam Shepard, Sid Vicious, and Dee Dee Ramone. Now as legendary as the artists it has housed and the countless creative collaborations it has sparked, the Chelsea has always stood as a mystery as well: Why and how did this hotel become the largest and longest-lived artists community in the known world? Inside the Dream Palace is the intimate and definitive story. Today the Chelsea stands poised in limbo between two futures: Will this symbol of New York's artistic invention be converted to a profit-driven business catering to the top one percent? Or will the Chelsea be given a rebirth through painstaking effort by the community that loves it? Set against these two competing possibilities, Inside the Dream Palace could not be more fascinating or timely. ** An Icon Of American Artistic Invention, The Chelsea Hotel Has Been, Since Its Founding By A French Socialist Utopian In 1884, A Cultural Dynamo Lodged In The Very Heart Of Uber-capitalist New York City. Sherill Tippins, Author Of The Acclaimed February House, Delivers A Lively, Masterly History Of The Chelsea And Of The Successive Generations Of Artists Who Have Cohabited And Created There, Among Them John Sloan, Edgar Lee Masters, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Thomas Wolfe, Dylan Thomas, Arthur Miller, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Sam Shepard, Sid Vicious, And Dee Dee Ramone. Now As Legendary As The Artists It Has Housed And The Countless Creative Collaborations It Has Sparked, The Chelsea Has Always Stood As A Mystery As Well: Why And How Did This Hotel Become The Largest And Longest-lived Artists' Community Of The Known World? Inside The Dream Palace Gives The Intimate And Definitive Story-- The Chelsea Association -- The Coast Of Bohemia -- Four Saints In Three Acts -- Howl -- After The Fall -- A Strange Dream -- The Price -- Naked Lunch -- Mahagonny -- Epilogue : Second Life. Sherill Tippins. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 416-430). "An icon of American artistic invention, the Chelsea Hotel has been, since its founding by a French socialist utopian in 1884, a cultural dynamo lodged in the very heart of uber-capitalist New York City. Sherill Tippins, author of the acclaimed February House, delivers a lively, masterly history of the Chelsea and of the successive generations of artists who have cohabited and created there, among them John Sloan, Edgar Lee Masters, Isabella Stewart Gardner, Thomas Wolfe, Dylan Thomas, Arthur Miller, Allen Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Sam Shepard, Sid Vicious, and Dee Dee Ramone. Now as legendary as the artists it has housed and the countless creative collaborations it has sparked, the Chelsea has always stood as a mystery as well: Why and how did this hotel become the largest and longest-lived artists' community of the known world? Inside the Dream Palace gives the intimate and definitive story"-- Provided by publisher