The current management of the revered old Chelsea Hotel in New York City has been doing work on the place, and raising the ire of those who believe it should be preserved as nearly as possible just as it is. Among those covering the story are residents of the old hotel themselves, at the Hotel Chelsea Blog, subtitled “The Last Outpost of Bohemia.” One of the latest posts is this: Bob Dylan’s Room desecrated by Corporate Vandals.

The pictures below were taken Bobdylanchelseahotel on Tuesday, after construction began in Bob Dylan’s old room at the Chelsea Hotel (#211), where he lived in the 60s, writing “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands,” and so many other great songs from his Blond on Blond album. As you can see, the room, which prior to Tuesday’s vandalism, looked much as it did when Dylan lived there, has been completely trashed. In addition to not having the required Certificate of Non-Harassment the illegally obtained permits are only for bathroom and kitched [sic] renovation. Obviously, much more than that is going on.

Go to their site to see the pictures if you like. I’m in two minds about something like this. On the one hand, preserving things of historical note is generally a noble cause. Much has been lost in New York City due to the breakneck pace of construction and reconstruction and some pretty mindless and soulless planning. However, things can swing too far in the other direction, where a building owner sometimes can’t even put up an awning or make other minor improvements due to historical preservation laws. In the specific case of this room, Bob Dylan slept there. His song, Sara, declares for all time that he wrote Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands while in the Chelsea Hotel. However, it is still a hotel room. Bob Dylan has stayed in hotel rooms beyond number all over the world, and I would guess that the great majority of his songs have been written in those hotel rooms. If they are all to be preserved pristine as historical landmarks then it’s going to require a great deal of effort and money and the invasion of some foreign countries.

The preservationists in this case would surely argue that just because others can’t be preserved doesn’t mean that this one shouldn’t be. And of-course their concerns are broader than just for that room alone. Nevertheless, the hotel needs to remain in business so that bills can be paid, employees employed, and upkeep kept up. Good luck to all. I did stay in the Chelsea Hotel once. Mrs. RWB too. That was in our bohemian days. Wouldn’t be able to afford it now, of-course.

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