Yoko Ono is already pretty famous as an artist, activist, and the wife of legendary Beatles front man, John Lennon. However, she’s about to have a new claim to fame thanks to her posh address. That’s because the New York Post is reporting that an apartment at the top of Ono’s illustrious Dakota Apartments is under contract.
When the residence sells, Ono will officially become the longest-tenured homeowner in the building’s history. Of course, that all hinges on the completed sale of the apartment, which The Post says was owned by the late Steven Rubin, who was famously a patron of the arts.
Rubin purchased the property in the late 1960s, just a few years prior to Lennon and Ono’s arrival in the 1970s. Unfortunately, the property went up for sale after Rubin’s wife passed away earlier this year.
Now, the property is estimated to be sold for around $8 million, netting the estate of the Rubin family a pretty payday in the process.
Ono and Lennon Bought the Apartment in 1973
The New York Post says that estimates for the original purchase of the Ono/Lennon property were between $150,000 and $200,000. That would equal out to something like $1.1 to $1.5 million by today’s standards, highlighting how big of a deal it was when they originally bought the home. These days, experts say it’s likely worth somewhere around $20 million.
As time went on, the couple purchased a few more units in the building, so that they could have more space for guests and to use for storage or as an office. The apartment is also the space where the couple raised their son Sean Lennon. The trio resided there until 1980, when the elder Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman.
Ono Doesn’t Spend as Much Time at the Dakota These Days
The family’s one-time home likely holds a mix of good and bad memories for the 93-year-old, so it may not come as any surprise that she’s changed her residence over the years. These days, the New York Post says that she spends most of her time at her farm. Still, she doesn’t seem to have any immediate plans to list the property for sale, which means she will hold the title of longest homeowner at the famed Dakota Apartments for a little while anyway.
If you’d like a chance to see the apartments that have been called home by other famous people like Lauren Bacall and Judy Garland, you’ll need to try and catch a glimpse from the outside. According to Viator.com, you can only view the 1884 structure in passing, since they don’t offer indoor tours of the residence.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the trip, since there is a monument nearby dedicated to the late Lennon, known as Strawberry Fields. Viator.com says you’ll need to cross the street and head to the West 72nd entrance to Central Park, which is about a 2-minute walk from the building.