Rare Photos of the Stars Inside The Dakota, NYC’s Famously Haunting Building
This selective residence housed countless celebrities over the years
Certain New York City landmarks have simply earned their spot in history, and The Dakota happens to be one of them. A historic apartment building located in the city’s Upper West Side, this residence has housed a hefty handful of famous faces and served as the backdrop of one of the most infamous assassinations in pop culture history. Here, a look at the building’s history and the celebrities and public figures who inhabited it.
History of The Dakota
The building itself was commissioned by Edward Clarke, a lawyer, who enlisted the help of Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, whose skill and design prowess led him to design the Plaza Hotel in the following years. In bringing this building to life, they hoped to emulate the qualities of a single-family home within each unit to separate themselves from the notions associated with multiunit apartment buildings, as residences of that type weren’t really associated with the upper class. Ultimately, their approach worked, as countless famous faces moved in over the years, making The Dakota their home.
John Lennon & Yoko Ono
John Lennon’s life at the Dakota was certainly notable, but it was his death outside of the building that left a mark on history. Lennon lived there with his wife, Yoko Ono, and their son Sean. The couple owned multiple units in the building that they used as their residence and a studio. However, on December 8, 1980, John Lennon was fatally shot outside The Dakota at 40 years old. Despite the tragedy that took place on this property, John’s son Sean still has fond memories of the place—specifically, the friendship he struck up with neighbor Roberta Flack.
“I was very blessed that I grew up with the coolest neighbor in the world,” Sean said in Roberta, a documentary about the singer’s life “At first, I didn’t even think of Roberta as this incredible artist and musician; she was just this really cool neighbor. We used to call her Aunt Roberta, and we were very close.”
Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack lived in The Dakota for almost 40 years up until she sold it in 2015. In 2010, she spoke to The New York Times about living in the famed residence, saying that despite it being chock full of famous faces, everyone mostly kept to themselves.
Leonard Bernstein
Famed composer Leonard Bernstein lived in the iconic apartment building from 1975 up until his death in 1990. His second floor apartment served as the backdrop for much of the 2023 biopic about his life, Maestro.
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was another famous resident at The Dakota, and when her three-bedroom spot sold, it was actually sold in combination with Roberta Flack’s unit! It was purchased in 2016 by Alice + Olivia chief executive Stacey Bendet Eisner and her husband Eric Eisner, son of former Disney CEO Michael Eisner.
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall called The Dakota home for over five decades, and the To Have and Have Not (1944) actress filled her home with eclectic charm over the years before it sold in 2015 for a small price of $21 million.
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney also lived at The Dakota during her lifetime!
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