Another historic arts center in New York City will join the Chelsea Hotel and Andy Warhol’s factory, which is little more than a memory after a group of artists were told to move out of their homes and workplaces at 14 Maiden Lane in the Financial District.
In January 2022, the mini skyscraper with 14 bright and airy lofts sold for $9.5 million as a mixed-use asset.
By May of this year, artists such as the famous Molly Crabapple told New York Post, They were told to move out after the new owners failed to renew their contracts.
Although everyone in the building has lived there for over 10 years, the building’s residents have only received the legally required notice to vacate.
The historic building at 14 Maiden Lane is considered one of Manhattan’s first skyscrapers
Molly Crabapple shares these photos of her former loft studio, which she had to move out of after the building was sold
Crabapple lives in loft 14 with other artists after remodeling apartment in 2001
In her interview, Crabapple described the building’s location in the financial district as “very uncool.” However, she went on to say that the experience of living with so many creative people was “beautiful”.
Crabapple has lived in the building since 2010 with her partner, illustrator Fred Harper. After the lease ended, she moved to Brooklyn.
They say their former no-name landlord was a nightmare who left the building in disrepair. But its space and low – undisclosed – rent keep residents happy.
In August 2013, Crabapple was called “the greatest artist of Occupy Wall Street”, new york magazine feature.
The article describes Crabapple as working and living from home with her partner and their cat Puddy.
Artist Molly Crabapple has lived at 14 Maiden Lane with her partner Fred Harper since 2010. During the Occupy movement, her home became an ‘unofficial press room’ for protesters
In Crabapple’s former home, “art covered the walls” and “there were a million tiny distractions,” the article said.
Crabapple told The Washington Post in 2022 that her home became an “unofficial press room” for protesters who would use her showers and electricity and drink her booze.
When the building was owned by Diamond Lane LLC in January, the landlord allowed the current tenant’s lease to expire, The Washington Post reported.
A former resident, Crystal Thompson, told The Washington Post that a lot of things about living in the building are scary, but “the art is amazing.”
Christo Thompson, a former resident of the building, said while 14 Maiden Lane had many flaws, the art was “beautiful”
Built in 1894, the building at 14 Maiden Lane is considered one of Manhattan’s first skyscrapers.
It was originally used as a commercial venue in the heart of what was then New York City’s Diamond District.
Until 2001, the building was occupied by businesses, including a rare book dealer.
In 2001, 14 Maiden Lane was converted into a residential apartment building.
Crabapple dictated the countless parties and photo shoots that took place at 14 Maiden Lane over the years. In one example, a photographer documented the collapse of the second tower on September 11.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Crabapple said neighbors would give each other cocktails.
The building originally opened in 1894 as an office building in what was then New York City’s Diamond District.It was not converted into a residence until 2001
The Washington Post quoted Thompson as saying: “We just went through COVID together and we thought ‘everything is going to be fine, we’re going to make it,’ and then it became a 90-day thing. There’s really not much time left.
Crabapple went on to slam the greed of real estate developers as the reason she lost her home, calling New York City a “town run by real estate.”
Another former resident, Kristin Rose, expressed her concern that the building could be demolished because it was not protected.
Ross added: “It’s an extraordinary place and it’s a shame it has lost anything. It’s a huge loss for the city because it’s an interesting part of early American architecture.
The Chelsea Hotel and Andy Warhol’s Factory Was Once New York City’s Top Art Center
The Chelsea Hotel on 23rd Street in Manhattan has hosted many famous writers, including Dylan Thomas and Arthur Miller
Arguably the most famous and notorious arts center in New York City is the Chelsea Hotel at 222 West 23rd Street.
The hotel has hosted numerous works of art, such as View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller and 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke.
Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious stabbed his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death in October 1978, Dylan Thomas was terminally ill in Room 205, and writer Charles Jackson committed suicide in September 1968.
Andy Warhol is said to have written about Chelsea in his diary after Spenger’s killing: “They just let anyone in, the hotel was dangerous, and it seemed like people were killed there once a week.”
When the hotel took new ownership in 2011, Chelsea stopped taking new bookings but allowed long-term residents to stay.
In March 2022, Chelsea Hotel, named after the ongoing construction work, finally opened to new bookings with a lower “hard hat rate”.
Andy Warhol’s Factory was one of New York City’s major art centers from 1963 to 1984.Warhol ended the concept and settled in to work in a more traditional office space after the closure
The Andy Warhol Factory, another equally famous New York City arts center, closed permanently in 1984.
Warhol’s studio operated in three different locations, first at East 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan from 1963 to 1967, then at 33 Union Square West from 1968 to 1973, and then at 33 Union Square West from 1968 to 1974 Last home on the north side of Union Square until 1984.
While working in the factory, Warhol made dozens of films, including one about women living in Chelsea hotels called “Chelsea Girls”
The factory was home to some of the most famous musical faces of the 1970s. After leaving The Velvet Underground, the band’s frontman Lou Reed wrote the song “Walk on the Wild Side” about the studio.
Another regular was Mick Jagger. In 1971, Warhol designed the cover of the band’s album “Sticky Fingers” in the factory.
However, like Chelsea, there have been some controversial incidents at the factory. More so when Warhol was shot by feminist activist Valerie Solanas in 1968.
Solanas later said she shot Warhol because he was ‘too controlling’ [her] Life’
Speaking to The Guardian in 2012 about the factory’s legacy, Warhol’s contemporary writer Glenn O’Brien said: “One of Andy’s great innovations was realizing the idea of the artist being alone in his studio. Not particularly modern, an artist could have had a team. Today you have an artist like Jeff Koons or Damien Hirst who employ hundreds of people – a very understandable one for an artist model.
