John Lennon, Yoko Ono’s NYC loft purchased after Beatles’ breakup selling for $5.5M
Beatles musician, wife purchased New York City loft in 1971
John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono's New York City loft is on the market for the first time in more than 50 years.
The two-story loft-style building at 496 Broome St. was purchased by the duo in 1971, not long after The Beatles broke up and Lennon released one of the most influential songs of the 20th century, "Imagine."
At the time, Lennon was eager to break free from The Beatles and make a name for himself as a solo artist while creating a new identity with Ono – an artist and peace activist – by his side.
While the couple only lived there until 1973, the building has often been used as a workspace throughout the years.
Yoko Ono and John Lennon purchased the home in 1971. (JLL / Getty Images / Fox News)
"The building on Broome Street was sort of like a base for their artistic ventures," Philip Norman, the author of "John Lennon: The Life," said via the New York Times. At the time, the couple was also renting an apartment at 105 Bank St. in the West Village. "Bank Street was their salon, where people could just walk in," Norman added.
Located in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, the Broome Street loft features a gallery-like ground-floor space with 14.4-foot. ceilings, an open kitchen plus a bedroom loft in the rear.
The top floor has another large live-workspace and recording studio.
The property has 4,600 square feet of air rights and current zoning allows for three additional floors for a total gross floor area of roughly 7,500 square feet above grade, subject to Landmarks approval, according to the JLL’s Capital Markets Team, who has listed the property.
The space is located in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. (JLL / Fox News)
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS
The JLL Capital Markets Investment Sales and Advisory team led by managing directors Paul Smadbeck and Guthrie Garvin is leading the marketing effort.
The home features 14.4-foot ceilings, an open kitchen plus a bedroom loft in the rear. (JLL / Fox News)
"496 Broome St. is both a unique piece of New York history and popular culture and a prime investment opportunity for the right buyer," Smadbeck said in a release obtained by FOX Business. "Versatile zoning and its location in one of the city’s most desirable and trendsetting neighborhoods offers an exciting opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind property."
The property has often been used as a work space throughout the years. (JLL / Fox News)
In 2020, an oceanfront Palm Beach estate once owned by the couple sold for around $36 million, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
The duo bought the property around 1980, according to the book "Nowhere Man: The Final Days of John Lennon" by Robert Rosen. Lennon was shot to death a few months later, and the couple's plans to renovate the property never came to fruition. Ono sold the property in 1986.