I
magine a world without heaven. It's not hard to envision if you buy into the concept of an afterlife.
In New York City's iconic Dakota co-op at 1 W. 72nd St., a four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom residence is up for sale at an asking price of $6.2 million. This is not just any listing; it's located next to the former home of Yoko Ono, who shared it with her late husband John Lennon. The property was last owned by a man named Paul H. Epstein, who passed away in 2022, just shy of his 82nd birthday. Epstein purchased the dwelling in 2012 along with his husband Garry Parton, although the transfer tax recorded with the city Department of Finance doesn't mention the price they paid.
Epstein was a well-known lawyer whose clientele included famous names like Leonard Bernstein and Rodgers & Hammerstein. His work in copyright law played a significant role in shaping the careers of some of the 20th century's most celebrated composers and choreographers.
The seventh-floor unit, like the Dakota's signature ornate exterior, exudes grandeur. A formal gallery leads into the eight-room residence, showcasing one of its five fireplaces. The spacious living room, complete with another fireplace, offers breathtaking views over the rooftops of the Upper West Side. Adjacent to this is a library, currently serving as a formal dining room, which houses a hidden wet bar.
The residence is now on the market for $6.2 million.
The eight-room apartment boasts four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and five fireplaces.
This historic residence is rich in character, with 13-foot ceilings, paneling, and classic moldings.
Additional perks include soaring 13-foot ceilings, intricate moldings, and wainscoting that adorn the walls, plus a dining room that overlooks the Dakota's courtyard.
This unit, represented by Daniela Kunen of Douglas Elliman, is the only home up for sale in the 93-unit address, where turnover is famously rare. The only sale in the building so far this year was Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Chernow's purchase of a three-bedroom unit for $4.99 million in April, records show.
While Yoko Ono may no longer reside in the Dakota full-time, she remains its most famous occupant.
The Dakota offers amenities like a fitness center, concierge service, and 24-hour security.
At 90, the artist and peace activist has since retreated to a sprawling 600-acre farm in Franklin, New York, a property she and Lennon acquired in 1978.
Despite her departure from the city, Ono's connection to the Dakota endures. She first moved into the building in 1966 and stayed even after Lennon's death in 1980, when he was gunned down outside the Dakota's entrance.
For decades, Ono's presence at the Dakota was a beacon for fans and curious onlookers alike, contributing to the building's mystique. The couple's residency — which at one point included five units used as guest accommodations, storage, and a studio for Ono — made them fixtures of the Upper West Side.
Yoko Ono in the lounge of the apartment she shared with John Lennon, one year to the day after he was murdered outside the Dakota building where they lived on Central Park West, Manhattan, December 8th 1981.
Yoko Ono poses in Central Park at the Imagine Memorial in Honor of John Lennon on April 20, 2000 in New York City.
The living space and studio alone encompassed nearly 6,000 square feet, underscoring the massive scale of their footprint in the building. It's unclear how much money was spent total over the years carving out her home there.
The Dakota's history is also as rich as its architecture. Built in 1884, it was America's first luxury apartment building, offering efficient opulence at a time when grand Gilded Age mansions were becoming a cumbersome thing of the past. The Dakota was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, who later designed the Plaza Hotel, in a German Renaissance style.
Over the years, the Dakota had also become synonymous with names like Lauren Bacall, whose nine-room apartment fetched $21 million in 2015, a year after her death.
The late John Lennon.
Dolly Lenz, a longtime luxury broker, said these units represent “the best deals in the city, especially considering the significant provenance associated with living at the Dakota,” she previously told The Post.
Though the building may lack the modern amenities of newer luxury developments, it offers something far more valuable: a direct link to the city's cultural and architectural heritage.
The Dakota "doesn't need to appeal to everybody," Scott Cardinal, an architectural historian who has published several books on the building, also previously told The Post. "All it needs is 100 people who think it's awesome. I don't think it will ever have trouble finding people."
