A short history of the Virtual Hotel Chelsea
Chelsea Hotel SL in Video
Posted to Youtube in May 2019, this video features the voice of the late ENOLA EM VAHER, much loved manager and custodian of The Virtual Hotel Chelsea for more than 12 years.
For a sampling of Enola’s poems and artwork please click the button below.
A short history of the Chelsea Hotel in Second Life
by Enola Vaher
The Chelsea Hotel has always been a center of artistic and bohemian activity and it houses artwork created by artists who have visited, both in real life (RL) and in 2nd life.
The RL hotel was the first building to be listed by New York City as a cultural preservation site and historic building of note.
In 2009 Mykal Skall, SL Musician, had too much time on his hands. He had been enamored with the Chelsea Hotel for many years, and had stayed there whenever he was in Manhattan.
In the winter of 2009 he decided to build a small, loose, virtual adaptation of the RL Life Chelsea that he loves so much.
On a visit to the Hotel, he took many photos which he used to create most of the textures used in the SL Hotel. He had become friends with Ed Hamilton, the keeper of the Chelsea blog.
http://www.chelseahotelblog.com/
In late June of 2009 Ed mentioned to a friend that there was a virtual replica being built. The friend happened to be a reporter with NYTimes, Saki Knafo. He contacted Mykal and wanted to visit SL and write a story about the SL version.
Since then we have been written about in quite a few RL publications. What was thought to be one day, turned into 7 years. The SL Hotel was rebuilt in 2011.
A friend in the RL hotel and a wonderful supporter of the Virtual Chelsea, gave Mykal the original blue prints. Mykal used this as a guide for his recreation for what is now a far more realistic version.
Chelsea Hotel, Second Life
We wanted to create a community that celebrated the arts, and offered a safe haven for 'freaks' of all manner, just as the RL hotel had done for 135 years.
In this venture we have striven to keep the hotel as accurate as possible.
The rooms are named for their most famous (and infamous) residents. Author and historian Sherrill Tippens kindly supplied us with a listing of rooms and their residents.
The Chelsea Hotel SL has become a mecca for artists of all kinds. The fine arts are featured in the many surrounding galleries with pride of place being Gallery 23 where up to six artists a month are featured over a monthly exhibition, many of the artists being Chelsea visitors and or residents since the sims inception.
Ed Hamilton declared us to b e the “Official Virtual Representation of the Chelsea Hotel.” RL residents have embraced us and offer information whenever they can. Thanks to them the Virtual Chelsea has become an iconic location in SL.
We value and support all of our residents, artists and musicians and, of course, the many members who make up the varied and colorful community that is Chelsea Boheme. We know that without these people, we would not exist.
Please feel free to wander the sim, the galleries and the halls of the Hotel.
We ask that you respect the privacy of those who keep a room here.