Property

Inside David Bowie’s $17m Manhattan apartment

Late star’s Lafayette Street home, bought for $3.8m, sold five years after singer’s death

David Bowie in New York in 2002. Photograph: Theo Wargo/WireImage via Getty

Tue Jul 20 2021 - 10:12

It features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, three terraces and a recent past as the New York home of David Bowie – and it could have been yours for a mortgage repayment of just over €50,000 a month. Five years after the singer’s death, and less than a month after going on the market, Bowie’s apartment in the city has sold for $16.8 million, or about €14.2 million.

The 470sq m (5,090sq ft) residence is in the SoHo/Nolita area of Manhattan, at 285 Lafayette Street. The singer bought the property for $3.81 million in 1999 and lived there with his wife Iman until his death, in 2016. The sale, handled by Corcoran Group, was the first time the apartment had come on the market since then.

The listing describes it as a "grand yet intimate condominium residence with three perfectly situated terraces. The interior was beautifully crafted by one of Europe's most renowned architect/designers. Direct elevator access to the apartment's entrance gallery leads to a 56 x 22 foot great room with three exposures and a western terrace. Eleven foot ceiling heights, a fireplace, adjacent library (w/bath), and open kitchen add to the space's character and function.

“The main bedroom suite measures over 1,000 sq ft and features a fireplace, dressing room, oversized bath and terrace. There are an additional three bedrooms, three baths, and a powder room.

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David Bowie’s New York apartment: the living room. Photograph: MW Studio/Michael Weinstein for Corcoran Group

David Bowie’s New York apartment: the dining area and informal living space. Photograph: MW Studio/Michael Weinstein for Corcoran Group

David Bowie’s New York apartment: the library. Photograph: MW Studio/Michael Weinstein for Corcoran Group

David Bowie’s New York apartment: the kitchen. Photograph: MW Studio/Michael Weinstein for Corcoran Group

David Bowie’s New York apartment: the kitchen features island seating. Photograph: MW Studio/Michael Weinstein for Corcoran Group

David Bowie’s New York apartment: the main bedroom. Photograph: MW Studio/Michael Weinstein for Corcoran Group

David Bowie’s New York apartment: the main bathroom. Photograph: MW Studio/Michael Weinstein for Corcoran Group

David Bowie’s New York apartment: the rooftop terrace. Photograph: MW Studio/Michael Weinstein for Corcoran Group

David Bowie’s New York apartment: part of the rooftop terrace. Photograph: MW Studio/Michael Weinstein for Corcoran Group

“Originally built in 1886 and served as the Hawley & Hoops chocolate factory, 285 Lafayette Street was converted to a full-service condominium building in 1999.”

The real-estate agent estimates the mortgage repayments at about $60,350 (or about €51,150) a month, plus property taxes of $8,900 and maintenance and common charges of $7,802.

The listing describes the SoHo/Nolita area as an “architectural time capsule from the days when cast iron was all the rage”. In the 1960s artists began converting properties in the area into apartments and studios. “Today, high-end retail and restaurants occupy lower floors in what has become one of Manhattan’s most sought-after neighbourhoods. Nolita comprises the 16 blocks west of SoHo, over to the Bowery. The new hyper-specific portmanteau (for “North of Little Italy”) was bestowed in the 1990s to delineate its distinct, more-residential feel.”

David Bowie