Built in 1864, The Dakota is one of THE most iconic residences in New York City. It was reportedly called “The Dakota” because at the time, it was so far north of the center of the city, it was as far way as the Dakotas. The building is square, built around a central courtyard ad the arched main entrance is a porte-cochère large enough for the horse-drawn carriages that once entered and allowed passengers to disembark sheltered from the weather. Rosemary’s Baby was famously set here (it was called The Bramford in the movie) and not surprisingly, the building has been home to many celebrities over the decades, including Lauren Bacall, composer Leonard Bernstein, George Clooney‘s aunt singer Rosemary Clooney, actress Lillian Gish, Boris Karloff, documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, dancer Rudolph Nureyev, Joe Namath, Jack Palance, Maury Povich & Connie Chung, Gilda Radner, Rex Reed, John Lennon and Yoko Ono and Judy Garland. Garland’s former apartment is on the market and was renovated by designer Sasha Bikoff. The decoration might not be everyone’s taste, but the proportions of the rooms in the expansive nine-room apartment feature 13-foot ceilings that seamlessly flow from one to the other. The general layout of the apartments in the building is in the French style of the period, with all major rooms not only connected to each other, in enfilade, but also accessible from a hall or corridor, an arrangement that allows a natural migration for guests from one room to another and is especially nice for entertaining. The principal rooms, such as parlors or the master bedroom, face the street, while the dining room, kitchen, and other auxiliary rooms are oriented toward the courtyard. Some of the drawing rooms are 49 feet long. The living room in Garland’s apartment has French doors leading to a formal dining room overlooking the courtyard, a large eat-in kitchen, a library, and seven wood-burning fireplaces. There are three bedrooms, two and a half baths and over 4,700 square feet and it can be yours for a cool $16.75 million. If only.
(T/Y Tad; photos, Juris Mardwig; via Architectural Digest)
