It was the first New York City home the Beatles owned shortly after their breakup.
In the fall of 1971, two years before moving to the famous Dakota apartment complex on the Upper West Side, John Lennon and Yoko Ono had settled downtown, purchasing a small loft-like building at 496 Broome Street in Soho. .
At the time, Lennon had just released his second solo studio album, Imagine.
Relocating to New York, John Lennon began to forge his own identity with Ms. Ono, an avant-garde artist, musician, and peace activist, but also a former bandmate with whom he created some of the greatest music of the 20th century. He publicly distanced himself from Paul McCartney. Popular song.
“He thought New York was a place where he could be left alone,” said Philip Norman, author of the biography “John Lennon: The Life.” “It really seemed like freedom, freedom from the Beatles. Being a Beatle was such a miserable life.”
Mr. Norman, who has written biographies of famous musicians such as McCartney and George Harrison, said that John Lennon and Mr. Ono first bought a suite at the St. Regis Hotel before buying the Broome Street building and renting out an apartment. He pointed out that he stayed in several rooms. Located at 105 Bank Street in the West Village. “The Broome Street building was kind of the hub of their artistic adventures,” he said. “Bank Street was their saloon, and people could walk in there.”
The Broome Street building still owned by Ono and his son, musician Sean Ono Lennon, is on the market for the first time in more than half a century through real estate services company JLL. The asking price is $5.5 million. His annual property taxes are $55,069.
This two-story red brick building with decorative checkered glass squares on its façade was purchased from artist David Diao through Ono Music in November 1971. The deed was later transferred to Sekhmet Productions, formerly run by Sam Havadtoy. Ono’s ex-girlfriend. The production company is currently directed by Ms. Ono and Sean Ono Lennon.
In addition to its role as a residence, the Broome Street building has served a number of other purposes.
“The property has been used intermittently over the years as a meeting and work space, art storage and press conferences for Sekhmet Productions’ various projects,” said JLL’s Private Capital Group Managing Director.・Director Paul Smadbeck said. Guthrie Garvin, also a JLL managing director, as well as the listed broker.
“The property was also used as a recording studio,” Smadbeck added.
Smadbeck said the building was built around 1920 between Wooster Street and West Broadway and is zoned for both commercial and residential use. Mr. Smadbeck also oversaw the $6.5 million sale of Bag One’s 110 West 79th Street in 2017, he said. Arts, Licensing and Publishing Division of the John Lennon Estate.
The currently vacant Broome Street building has a total of 3,832 square feet of loft-like space, including a basement, and 4,600 square feet of air rights, with up to three additional floors, according to Smadbeck. There is a possibility that it may be added. .
The first floor features 4-foot ceilings and hardwood floors, as well as a spacious open kitchen with a breakfast bar and stainless steel appliances. At the rear of the first floor, near the kitchen, there is a short staircase to a full-height bedroom loft and a full bathroom with a soaking tub below.
A vestibule near the building’s entrance has a staircase leading up to the top floor, which currently consists of a gallery space, a sound studio, and another full bathroom.
So who would be interested in this famous property?
The property listing states that the building is “ideal for end-users looking to create a unique home/office, restaurant, retail, or art gallery in the heart of SoHo.”
Of course, there is no problem if the purchaser is a Lennon Ono fan.
“Wherever they lived is going to have some value,” Norman said.
