$75 Million Frankenmansion in N.Y.C. Features John Lennon’s Staircase

In the early 1970s, John Lennon and Yoko Ono rented a two-room apartment on the top floor of a modest townhouse at 105 Bank Street in New York’s West Village. In recent years, the small apartment house has been renovated and combined with the neighboring townhouse at 107 Bank Street to create an impressive single-family home of approximately 13,000 square feet.

In addition to the meticulously preserved facade, award-winning firm Robert AM Stern Architects (RAMSA) is behind the 40-foot-wide mansion’s exquisite composition and exquisite design. Robert Kleiner, founder of Round Square Development, was asked about the inspiration behind its construction. Rob Report that “we wanted to make a unicorn, a Picasso.” And indeed, one of its most unique elements is the cast-iron spiral staircase that once led from Lenin and Ono’s apartment to the roof terrace but has now been fully restored and connects the parlor floor living room to the rear garden.

In the foyer, a skylight covers an epic oval staircase, with Venetian plaster walls, bronze spindles, and a lacquered wood banister that complements the patterned white oak floors on each landing. In the spacious adjacent living and dining room, which spans the entire width of the home, you get your first glimpse of the tall and large windows that flood the home with natural light.

Accessible by stairs or elevator, the spacious garden-level kitchen is outfitted with double islands with white Danby marble counters. A fireplace-warmed den and a windowed breakfast area sit to the front, opening out to a 40-foot sunlit garden with a marble fireplace.

There are five bedrooms in total, one on garden level suitable for guests or staff, while the primary suite spans the entire floor with a sitting room, two dressing rooms and a private terrace. Three additional terraces are planted with mature plants. Other highlights include a navy-painted study, a top-floor office that can be converted into another bedroom, as well as a plush screening room, fitness space with sauna, and a 1,600-bottle wine cellar.

The ultra-posh Franken Mansion — the result of combining two or more neighboring homes into one — made headlines when it was first listed last fall, and the New York Post reported that it would set a new downtown record if it sold for its asking price. The $75 million list is held by Leslie Garfield.

Combining side-by-side townhouses has been a trend in New York and other high-density urban communities for at least a decade. Just ask Sarah Jessica Parker, Madonna, or tech titan Sean Parker, who all own the so-called Franken Mansion in the Big Apple.

Click here for more photos of the West Village mansion.