Bob Dylan's first NYC apartment building asks $8.25M

New York Post

6 days ago

Bob Dylan was a complete unknown when he moved to New York in 1961 and into a third-floor Greenwich Village walkup at 161 W. Fourth St. that can now be yours, along with the building it's in, for $8.25 million.
An Avison Young team of Brandon Polakoff, David Shalom and Ryan McGuirl are marketing the completely renovated four-story 4,597-square-foot former tenement on behalf of the seller, Icon Realty Management, The Post has learned.
With the release of the still-buzzy Oscar-nominated Dylan biopic, 'A Complete Unknown,' the red brick building with 20 feet of frontage between Sixth and Seventh avenues is attracting worldwide attention.
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13 Dylan spent his earliest New York days in this Greenwich Village building.
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13 The building is receiving renewed interest thanks to the buzzy 'A Complete Unknown' film that was based on his life.
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13 This famed album cover was photographed right around the corner from this now-for-sale building.
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13 The edifice stands in a prime Manhattan neighborhood.
William Miller/Icon Realty Management
13 Perhaps a true fan can soon rent the exact unit, 3R, that Dylan called home.
Icon Realty Management
Although this edifice was not actually shown in the film that starred Timothée Chalamet — because it was filmed in New Jersey — Dylan's fictitious apartment was very much front and center, as many scenes took place in and around the flat.
In real life, however, Dylan wrote his earliest songs while living in the building and was photographed with his then-girlfriend right around the corner on Jones Street for the cover of his breakout album, 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan.'
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Dylan lived in the third-floor rear apartment, No. 3R, from 1961 to 1964. In his 2004 memoir, 'Chronicles: Volume One,' Dylan wrote that he paid $60 a month. That's about $626 in today's figures.
'It wasn't much, just two rooms above Bruno's spaghetti parlor, next door to the local record store and furniture supply store on the other side. The apartment had a tiny bedroom, more like a large closet, and a kitchenette, a living room with a fireplace and two windows that looked out over fire escapes and small courtyards,' he wrote.
To protect his real-life girlfriend, Suze Rotolo, Dylan had the filmmakers change her name so actress Elle Fanning portrayed the fictitious Sylvie Russo.
At 29 years old, Chalamet, a Hell's Kitchen native, missed becoming the youngest Oscar winner for that role this year, losing to Adrien Brody in 'The Brutalist' — who has held that title since 2002 for his performance in 'The Pianist,' when he was also 29.
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13 A light-filled apartment played front and center in 'A Complete Unknown,' but it wasn't the same unit Dylan lived in during his tenancy.
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13 Dylan recalled his apartment in his 2002 memoir.
Icon Realty Management
13 Today, the building has fine condo-level touches.
Icon Realty Management
13 Units come with compact kitchens that still offer good storage.
Icon Realty Management
13 The apartments come with washer/dryers.
Icon Realty Management
The building is also 'free wheelin' as all five residential units are considered 'free market' and not subject to any rent regulation. Property taxes come in around $72,000 per year. The building is also in the 'protected' Tax Class 2B, so its assessed value can't rise more than 8% per year or by 30% over five years.
The apartments include a spacious three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment and four, one-bedroom, one-bathroom units that were all renovated in 2020 to condo-level standards. Those are far above the finishes at the time Dylan was picking his six-string, and jotting down lyrics to 'Blowin' in the Wind' and 'The Times They Are A-Changin''
According to the brokers, design touches today include bleached oak flooring, stainless steel appliances, marble countertops, exposed brick accents and in-unit washer/dryers. There's even a private rear outdoor terrace for one lucky resident.
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13 An apartment in the building has access to this spacious patio.
Icon Realty Management
13 A bedroom inside one of the units.
Icon Realty Management
13 Bathrooms in the building are also their own tony retreats.
Icon Realty Management
Rents now run from $4,800 for the cheapest one-bedroom to $8,950 for the three-bedroom. There are also two stores, Cherry Boxxx and Hamlet's Vintage, that each pays around $8,750 per month.
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'The property's iconic address not only offers immediate access to the city's vibrant residential and retail markets but also carries the cultural legacy of Bob Dylan and the artistic spirit of Greenwich Village,' said Polakoff. 'With its premier location, fully fair-market status and renewed cultural relevance, this asset stands as a rare and powerful investment opportunity.'
The 1910 building was designated part of the Greenwich Village Historic District in 1969; seller Icon bought the building in 2015 for $6 million.
Bob Dylan could not be reached to see if he would buy the property. His former childhood home in Hibbing, Minnesota is currently owned by a fan.