I. 98 Bowery, 1969 - 89
1. 98 Bowery, 1969 - 89
I was living with my California friend, Carla Dee Ellis, in a small apartment on Thompson Street. When we heard that an 1800 square-foot top floor loft was available in an old flop house at 98 Bowery we eagerly grabbed the lease. The loft was raw, but the rent was only $175 a month.
Back in 1969 the Bowery was New York’s skid row dominated by bars and drunks sleeping on the streets. Harry’s Bar was on the ground floor at 98 Bowery so we often had to push away inebriated men to enter the building. Less visible were the artists and bohemians living in the area’s upper floors in spaces that once housed factories and warehouses.