Y
ou can buy Joey Ramone's lifelong loft apartment in Manhattan's East Village for $575,000. The 400-square-foot studio is a treasure trove of history, with the previous owner leaving behind a collection of papers found hidden behind kitchen cabinets - including fan mail, scribbled lyrics, and reviews.
Joey Ramone, born Jeffrey Ross Hyman, lived in the East 9th Street home from the height of the Ramones' fame until his death in 2001. The apartment was listed last week by James McGrath, a real estate agent at Yoreevo.
The loft has been renovated and features a new kitchen and upgraded bathroom. A previous owner purchased the place in 2018 for $452,000 from Joey's brother, Mitchel Hyman.
A remarkable discovery during the renovation was a stack of Ramone's personal papers, including Con-Ed bills, letters, and scribbles wedged behind kitchen cabinets. The collection includes a letter documenting the cancellation of a Ramones performance at Boston University in 1987 due to concerns about crowd control.
The student who tried to organize the event wrote a scathing letter to the band members, criticizing the administration's decision as "Victorian times" thinking. Another letter from two students urged the band to appear on their "Free Speech Hours" program.
The white brick East Village co-op, named St. Mark, is located just off Astor Place and features studios currently listed in the $475,000 to $575,000 range. The area has undergone significant changes since its counterculture heyday but remains close to Union Square and a new Wegmans.
Joey Ramone was born in Forest Hills and died in 2001. The Ramones are credited with pioneering the punk rock genre in the late '70s and performing over 2,000 concerts before disbanding in 1996.
