







A look at notable residents of the iconic and infamous Chelsea Hotel, New York.
I would single our one Mr. Alphaeus Philemon Cole for special note. Born in 1876 (8 years before the Chelsea was built) he lived until 1988, aged 112 years and 136 days. At the time of his passing, he was the world’s oldest verified living man. Studying art in Italy, aged 16, in 1892, he exhibited in Europe and then in New York 1901 and continued to do so up to the age of 103.
He lived and worked at the Chelsea for 35 years from 1953. His preference was for the work from the 19th century, in particular John Singer Sargent.
Mr Cole said in 1978 at the exhibition of Lee Krasner’s paintings at the Whitney Museum “I thought is was even worse than her husbands. What was his name? Pollock?”