Hotel Chelsea
Why it's listed
Hotel Chelsea, at 222 West 23rd Street in Manhattan, is an eleven-story brick building of twenty-five bays, designed and built in 1884 by Hubert, Pirsson and Company. It has operated as a hotel since 1905. The facade is divided into five parts with engaged towers, a slate roof with large chimneys and dormers, and floral cast-iron balconies from the second through eighth floors, made by J.B. and J.M. Cornell. Inside, many apartments keep their original woodwork and high ceilings, and the lobby fireplace and main staircase railing survive. Philip G. Hubert, the chief designing partner, was known for originating the co-operative apartment house in the United States and for introducing fireproofing techniques. The hotel is also recognized for its association with writers and artists, including Mark Twain, Eugene O'Neill, Thomas Wolfe and Dylan Thomas. William Burroughs wrote Naked Lunch there, and Andy Warhol's film The Chelsea Girls was shot there in 1968. It was among the earliest New York City landmarks.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is one of New York's most famous landmarks because many writers and artists lived at or visited it. It also survives as one of the great late nineteenth-century apartment houses in the city, designed by Philip G. Hubert, who is credited with originating the co-operative apartment house in the United States and introducing fireproofing techniques.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 77000958, listed December 27, 1977. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 222 W. 23rd St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | December 27, 1977 |
| Reference number | 77000958 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Hubert, Pirsson & Co. |
| Areas of significance | Literature, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Marked as occupied and privately owned, in commercial use; some alterations made to meet safety codes and some storefronts modernized, while the main entrance, lobby fireplace and main staircase railing remain intact. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.74307, -73.99372 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 77000958.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q240711
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.