by Nathan Reese

Depending on who you ask, Chelsea's Maritime Hotel could be seen as proof of the architect Albert C. Ledner's inspired vision — or a monolithic monument to 1960s kitsch.

Originally designed as a hiring hall for the National Maritime Union, the 11-story, porthole-adorned tower has since served as a shelter for runaways and as housing for the New York Service Center for Chinese Study Fellows, before opening as a fashionable hotel in 2003.

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/