To be considered for residence, applicants had to provide three letters of reference and prove, through their dress and demeanor, that they were right for the elite, exclusive Barbizon experience.Īnd concerned parents were confident in the Barbizon to keep their young daughters safe in New York City. There was a strict dress code, a curfew, no food upstairs, no electricity or appliances allowed in the rooms, and a specific expectation that the residents would be “moral” and respectful. Men were not permitted past the floor unless they were signed at the front desk and under strict supervision. A room at the Barbizon was one of the most exclusive things a young woman in New York could have to herself. It was promised to turn girls into women, putting forth an image of an indefinable, but abundant, happy, glitzy life that could only be attained through life at the Hotel. The Barbizon was a place where independent women could be safe, looked after, and part of a community. The Barbizon’s residents were pursuing work as secretaries, models, editors, and actresses in a time when women were expected to marry and start families right away, already breaking a social mold and taking a risk. Women often moved to the Barbizon with great ambition and minimal money, ready to take a chance for their dreams in New York City. In the Barbizon’s decades as a “Club and Residence for Professional Women,” as the hotel billed itself, it was famous for its glamorous sorority-like occupancy. There are still 11 women who, due to rent-control, still reside in the building after 40 or 50 years, some paying $113 a month. Today, a one-bedroom in the Barbizon is $15 million. In the 1960s, a room would be $6 to rent. Today, the landmarked building–a unique pink-toned brick exterior with Italian Renaissance characteristics–is now full of luxury condominiums with an Equinox gym downstairs. Variations of the Barbizon are shown in Mad Men, The Bell Jar, Agent Carter, and more. Through pop culture, the Hotel has become somewhat iconic. The Late Gothic Revival-style building at 140 East 63rd Street stands at 23 stories tall, and for decades its 700 tiny dormitory rooms were home to young, hopeful, single women with modest means and huge dreams. The Barbizon Hotel operated from 1927-1981 as a women-only residence. How do images from popular culture imbue legacy onto a structure? If a building is landmarked, does that mean its story will continue being told? How do we use grand narratives to remain comfortable and avoid looking into the hidden histories of people and places? The Glamour and The Despair, The Barbizon Hotel July 8, 2019
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