How about a peek into a building that once housed both firefighters and avant-garde artists? We are standing before The Old Chelsea Firehouse. This building at 323 West 21st Street has quite the story to tell.
The Old Chelsea Firehouse dates back to 1864. It is reputed to be the first firehouse where the horses and carriages were housed together. Before this, firefighting was a disorganized collection of volunteers. Imagine young men, the “laddies,” scrambling to be the first to the fire. These volunteer firehouses were more like social clubs. A devastating fire at Barnum’s Museum in 1865 changed everything. Reformers pushed for a paid, united fire department.
By 1875, The Old Chelsea Firehouse had already transitioned to other uses. William Livingston, a carriage driver, lived here. He was arrested after his horse and carriage fatally struck a child. In 1908, Emma K. Beam owned the building. She leased out rooms upstairs. John Yeats, an artist, lived here in 1918.
In 1921, Anna Gerard sought refuge here. She was escaping her husband. She accused him of cruel treatment. A 1929 New York Times article mentioned that the building was sold to an investor. Plans were made to alter the structure. In 1935, it was converted into a garage with offices and apartments. The brownstone details were shaved flat. This was common for the time because Victorian ornamentation was out of style.
Though offices were planned, they never materialized. In 1933, dancer Franziska Marie Boas established her studio here. It was called the “Boas School.” She remained for almost two decades. Boas lived here with her friend Jan Gray and a sheepdog named “Name.” She confronted racism by having multiracial dance groups. She also opened her classes to all races.
Now get this in 1949, struggling artists Andy Warhol and Philip Pearlstein moved in. They shared the space with Boas. Warhol and Pearlstein found the space through a New York Times classified ad. Boas set them up on one side of the proscenium. She conducted her school on the other. Pearlstein joked that they had moved from one roach-ridden apartment to another.
Below their apartment was a bus service garage. According to Warhol’s biographer, the roaches were a major problem. They went after the black paint used for lettering. Warhol would leave his empty soda bottles out. By evening, they would be full of roaches. In March 1950, all four tenants and the dog were evicted. Boas wasn’t paying the landlord.
In 1955, the building was sold again. The Times noted a store on the ground floor. In 1998, The Old Chelsea Firehouse was converted to luxury housing. It featured a single-car garage and three apartments. The duplex apartment’s interiors were featured in Architectural Digest in 1999.
Imagine Warhol battling roaches in the very space where successful tenants now reside. The Old Chelsea Firehouse has seen quite a transformation. It has gone from firehouse to artist haven to luxury apartments. The engine-red doors still open to a private garage. Original cobblestone floors line the entry passage. The Old Chelsea Firehouse stands as a reminder of Chelsea’s ever-evolving history.