Chelsea Place

For the now demolished Chelsea Place in London, see Chelsea Manor.

Chelsea Place was a restaurant at 147 Eighth Avenue in New York City's Chelsea district, founded in 1974 and operational until 1992. It was unusual in that the restaurant was hidden in the back of an antique shop. In the back of the store (about 20' from the street entrance) was what appeared to be a large wardrobe with mullioned mirrored doors. Opening the doors, however, revealed a piano bar area. Passing through the bar, an unadorned door opened onto a staircase which led down to a basement seating area.^{[citation needed]} This area contained several dining rooms surrounding a glass-enclosed garden which gave an atrium-like feel, having several windows placed along a wall near the top. The garden included such eclectic furnishings as a totem pole and a pond with ducks. Total seating capacity was around 100. The food was Northern Italian.

John Santini, owner of the antique store, opened the restaurant in 1974. It was part of the gentrification of the area, as that area of Eighth Avenue did not have restaurants at their price level at the time of their opening.

In 1985, typical lunch costs were $14, dinners $20, and the operation had a staff of 90. According to the controller (financial manager) at the time, 28-year-old Robert Goodman, the annual gross was over $2 million. The upstairs piano bar had music from 5pm to 4am, mostly house musicians as opposed to touring acts or visiting performers.

Later in its existence, the restaurant became noted as a jazz music venue. Featured performers included Greg Allman and Harry Connick, Jr.. Chelsea Place closed in 1992.

New Chelsea Place

In 1994, former New York City police officer Ed Uribe opened New Chelsea Place at the 147 Eighth Avenue location as a jazz venue. Performers scheduled for the opening included Johnny Parker and Alizon Lissance.

References

• Changes Beginning to Reshape Chelsea Section of New York City from Nation's Restaurant News, June 3, 1985.
• What's Cooking on Eighth Avenue; Openings May Challenge Chelsea's Neighborhood Feel, New York Times, November 4, 1988, by Bryan Miller.
• An Old Club Returns With 2 Floors of Jazz, New York Times, December 4, 1994.