LAUREN BACALL'S Apartment sells for $21million
Bacall's fabulous 9-room apartment in the legendary 1884 landmark DAKOTA Building sold recently for $21million. Bacall passed away peacefully in her bedroom at the age of 89 in August 2014, one month shy of her 90th birthday. Three months later her apartment hit the market, listed by her 3 children from Humphrey Bogart and Jason Robards, who were her co-executors: her sons Stephen Bogart and Sam Robards and daughter Leslie Bogart.
Bacall had moved into the apartment with seond husband Robards in 1961 and reportedly paid approx. $28,000 for it. This was around the time the Dakota turned from rental apartments into co-ops which saved it from any further discussion of tearing it down. It was built in 1880-84 by millionaire investor Edward Clark, according to Stephen Birmingham's wonderful book LIFE AT THE DAKOTA. It was designed by famed architect Henry Janeway Hardnburgh (the Plaza Hotel) in the German Renaissance style...sort of like a German palace, including a place courtyard. It is reported to be haunted and now with Bacall's death, has another ghost in residence. Birmingham's book details various ghost sightings in the famous building with Central Park views.
Dozens of famous residents in the Dakota over the years include Roberta Flack, Boris Karloff, Judy Garland, Rudolf Nureyev, Judy Holiday, Tschaikovsky, and of course it's where John Lennon lived with his wife Yoko Ono and was murdered in 1980 on his way into the building.
Apartments are very palatial in the Dakota and some are very large and span multiple floors (like Yoko Ono's)...Bacall had one of the "smaller" units: a 3-bedroom, 3 1/2 bath co-op unit, Apt. #43 (4th floor). Located on Central Park West it had been on the market since 2014 (originally priced too high at $26million), then reduced to $23million. Wow, that's a listing I wish I had! :) Here's the killer: buildings like the Dakota don't accept mortgages so all-cash is required, plus board approval (the other tenants must O.K. you) plus the monthly maintenance fee is over $13,000 per month!!
The Dakota was built for wealthy people to "lure" them out of townhouse living and promising hotel-quality services including providing servants, always a big problem in the 19th century.
The pre-war (WWI) apartment has classic old-world charm including 13-foot ceilings and very large windows, unusual for buildings from 1884. The 4,000 square foot residence is entered through a private mahogany-trimmed vestibule that yields to an 18-foot foyer with one of five wood-burning fireplaces and a 70-foot long gallery that connects to the large living room, a stately dining room and a library, spaces which can be opened up for lavish entertaining. Many 19th century details remain such as the pocket doors, plaster molding, hardwood floors and wood trim throughout. The master bedroom suite includes two walk-in closets and each of the other bedrooms has an in-suite bath.
Ms. Bacall's bedroom had windows just looking over the treetops of Central Park and I actually saw her looking out one day and down at my tour group before abruptly turning away from the window, probably in disgust. Even though she was a two-time Tony winner, her nickname, after all, around the Broadway community was "the Beast of Broadway" for her impatience and attitude with anyone and everyone she deemed inferior to herself. Her son Sam Robards and I once worked together on a TV show and he told me some funny things about her attitude and Broadway reputation. I will save this gossip for a future item!
More pics of Bacall's apartment with furnishings from a real estate website:
http://ny.curbed.com/2015/3/9/9983106/first-look-inside-lauren-bacalls-dakota-apartment-of-53-years
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