Joan Didion’s NYC apartment gets a big $1M price cut
The former Upper East Side residence of beloved writer Joan Didion is still on the market and recently saw a substantial price drop. Originally listed for $7.5 million in January, the 4.5-bathroom abode is now asking $6.5 million after failing to find a buyer. Didion, who passed away in December 2021 at the age of 87, died inside the four-bedroom co-op from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. The co-op also holds a tragic history, as Didion’s husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, passed away in the unit in 2003, which is detailed in Didion’s poignant memoir, “The Year of Magical Thinking.”
Didion and Dunne purchased the 11-room apartment in 1988, and it became their primary residence. Didion was active on the building’s co-op board and was just a block away from Central Park. The pre-war domicile features a large split-level living room and library with a wood-burning fireplace, herringbone floors, and matching moldings, a kitchen with premium chef-grade appliances, a wet bar, oversize windows, wide hallways throughout, and a staff room with an ensuite bath, laundry room, and pantry.
The apartment is located in a prestigious limestone building, built in 1928, and offers residents a 24-hour doorman, hall attendants, a resident manager, fitness center, and bike storage. The listing is held by Serena Boardman of Sotheby’s International Realty.
The unit was put on the market shortly after an estate auction of Didion’s belongings, where a dictionary sold for $11,000 and a pair of the writer’s Céline sunglasses commanded $27,000.
FAQs:
Q: Why did the price of Didion’s former residence drop from $7.5 million to $6.5 million?
A: The residence failed to find a buyer and thus experienced a drop in price.
Q: Who was Joan Didion?
A: Joan Didion was an influential writer known for her works “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” and “The Year of Magical Thinking.” She passed away in December 2021 at the age of 87.
Q: Who else lived in the apartment?
A: Joan Didion shared the apartment with her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne. Dunne passed away in the unit in 2003.
Q: What amenities does the apartment offer?
A: The apartment features a large split-level living room and library with a wood-burning fireplace, herringbone floors, a kitchen with premium chef-grade appliances, a wet bar, wide hallways throughout the apartment, and a staff room with an ensuite bath, laundry room, and pantry.
Q: What is the building’s history?
A: The apartment is located in a prestigious limestone building, built in 1928, and offers residents a 24-hour doorman, hall attendants, a resident manager, fitness center, and bike storage.
The price tag for Joan Didion’s New York City apartment drops by a whopping $1M.
Joan Didion’s former Upper East Side address has yet to find a buyer since it was listed in January for $7.5 million. The property has now taken a seven-figure price cut, resulting in a new listing price of $6.5 million. The four-bedroom co-op on East 71st Street had previously been the primary residence of the well-respected writer, who passed away inside the property in December 2020 following complications from Parkinson’s disease.
Didion shared the co-op with her husband, writer John Gregory Dunne, until his death in 2003. Dunne died in the same unit, an experience which formed the basis of Didion’s 2004 memoir on grief, “The Year of Magical Thinking.” The property also was the location where Didion’s daughter, Quintana Roo Dunne, passed away in 2005 at age 39.
The spacious pre-war domicile, located just over a block from Central Park, features a large split-level living room and library with a wood-burning fireplace, herringbone floors, pale blue bookshelves, and matching moldings. Additionally, there is a chef’s-grade eat-in kitchen, a wet bar, beamed ceilings, oversized windows, and wide hallways throughout the 11-room abode, which is accessed via a “semi-private elevator landing.” Amenities at the prestigious limestone building, which was constructed in 1928, include a 24-hour doorman, hall attendants, a resident manager, fitness center, and bike storage.
Sotheby’s International Realty holds the listing, with Serena Boardman acting as the agent. The property first hit the market earlier this year, after an estate auction of Didion’s belongings where a dictionary sold for $11,000, and a pair of the novelist’s Céline sunglasses sold for $27,000, as previously reported by The Post.