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American Psycho Writer Bret Easton Ellis Reflects on His East Village Days

The night before a big party in his East Village apartment, Bret Easton Ellis would move into a hotel room so teams of caterers and bartenders could prepare the 1,000-square-foot space. “I managed to pack 200-300 people in my apartment at a time,” Ellis says about the standing-room-only affairs. “I don’t know if I was supposed to throw such lavish parties in that space, but I did.”

A member of the so-called “literary brat pack,” Ellis moved into a one-bedroom apartment at the landmarked American Felt Building in 1987—when the East Village was still primarily an artistic enclave—and lived there steadily until 2005. It was there that he created some of the most controversial characters of late-20th century American literature.

“I spent every day from 1987-1989 writing American Psycho in the Felt Building. I liked to do my rewriting on Friday nights, going over everything I had written the week prior, and I would only take Saturdays and Sunday nights off. I finished the novel in December of 1989.”

The memories the apartment holds for Ellis, and the era of New York City culture it represents, are nearly as fascinating as the stories that were created in it. In 2000, on the night of the film premiere of American Psycho, Ellis invited the cast over for an after-party. Christian Bale, Chloë Sevigny, Willem Dafoe, and Jared Leto were all in attendance to celebrate—and celebrate, they did. “There were complaints about noise, so we had to shut it down, but by then it was 4am and we had to go to bed.”

The parties he hosted—which were microcosms of New York society, drawing diverse crowds of artists, executives, actors, and writers—were enhanced by the excitement of the space, Ellis recalls. 

“People were always amazed by the wall of windows overlooking 13th Street. I loved the space: It looked much bigger than it actually was. I loved the high ceilings, I loved how large the bathroom was. It also had a terrace, which was kind of an anomaly. It provided a great space to entertain. It seemed like a very Los Angeles-style space while also being very loft-like.”

Speaking about why he chose the American Felt Building, Ellis remembers, “It was a fantastic location, because it was so central to everything. There was a subway a block away and big avenues nearby—it was very convenient. I never found anything as unique as that building in that area.”

As for the neighborhood itself, it was a stark difference from what it is today. “In the late ‘80s, downtown was very different. There was no TriBeCa. I spent a lot of time in NoHo, which was just starting out at the time.” Ellis fondly remembers frequenting Temple Bar in the ‘90s (“a little jewel of a cocktail bar,” as he calls it) but most other establishments he enjoyed are no longer there. “Tower Record became Whole Foods, the Barnes & Noble opened, the Union Square Cafe moved from 16th over to Broadway. It just changed so fast over the years.” The famed Strand bookstore, however, remains.

“The neighborhood at the time was very young, eclectic, and artistic. It had more of an edgy feel than it does now.”

Miles Chapin, the Brown Harris Stevens broker who has rented out Chapin’s apartment to various tenants over the years, also recognizes how much the neighborhood has transformed.

“New York is an ever-changing, dynamic place,” he says. Chapin, who is also an actor and writer, won a James Beard Award in 2005 for an article he wrote about the Lüchow’s restaurant across the street from the American Felt Building—a restaurant that survived for 100 years before closing in the 1980s.

Since the 1980s, Ellis’ works have enthralled, inspired, and disturbed audiences, with many still generating conversation today—particularly American Psycho. One of the most provocative and recognizable works of American pop culture, the story of Patrick Bateman has polarized readers and audiences for over three decades. Ellis’ gritty, hedonistic stories have left a lasting impact on the world of literature.

“I think wherever you live does influence your writing,” Ellis contemplates. “I never felt cooped up in a room when I was working on American Psycho because it was such a huge space in terms of the way it was designed. I loved the open quality of it and having the ability to go out onto that terrace and pace. You need a lot of freedom when you write—you need a sense of freedom. That’s why that space worked for me.”