Stanley Bard was the longtime manager and part-owner of the Chelsea Hotel in New York City — an iconic cultural landmark known for housing generations of artists, musicians, and writers.

Who was Stanley Bard?

• Lifespan: 1934–2017
• Role: He managed the Chelsea Hotel from 1964 until 2007, following in the footsteps of his father, who had also been involved in managing the property.
• Legacy: Bard was more than just a landlord — he was a curator of creative chaos, often renting rooms to struggling artists and creatives at below-market rates, sometimes accepting art as rent.

The Chelsea Hotel:

Under Bard’s management, the Chelsea Hotel became a legendary bohemian haven. It housed or hosted artists such as:

• Andy Warhol
• Patti Smith
• Leonard Cohen
• Janis Joplin
• Bob Dylan
• Allen Ginsberg
• Arthur C. Clarke (who wrote 2001: A Space Odyssey while staying there)

What made him unique:

• Bard had a reputation for deep loyalty and eccentric compassion — he believed in the people who lived in the Chelsea, often seeing their potential even before they became famous.
• He played a quiet but crucial role in fostering New York’s mid-20th-century counterculture and artistic movement.

He was ousted from management in 2007, a decision that saddened many in the art and literary community who viewed him as the heart and soul of the hotel.