8 Haunted New York City Buildings You Could Call Home
There’s no shortage of haunted buildings in New York City; heck, even some of the city’s most iconic places have seen their fair share of paranormal activity. But how about homes where you might run into a ghost or two? Most NYC apartments have surely been the setting for some kind of creepy occurrence, but some buildings are spookier than others. Just in time for Halloween, here are ten haunted buildings where ghosts and ghouls have been spotted, and where you could potentially land a home right now—if you dare.
1. The Dakota
This storied Upper West Side building has a high creep factor for numerous reasons: Rosemary’s Baby was filmed there; John Lennon was murdered there; and residents have long reported seeing ghosts throughout the building, including several children and, allegedly, Lennon’s own spirit. If you dare to live here—and have the cash—there are currently seven units available, including one rather spooky apartment with an all-black room, asking $14.5 million.
2. Hotel Des Artistes
There have been several reports of spectres at this former artists’ residence: According to the book Haunted Places: The National Directory, a spirit who likes to touch people lives within these walls. Others claim the ghost of Rudolph Valentino resides there, with whiffs of his cologne being the giveaway. And right now, five apartments are on the market, including a six-room duplex with a balcony for $6.25 million.
3. The Octagon
A former insane asylum on Roosevelt Island was transformed into a luxury rental building about ten years ago, but the tormented spirits who once occupied it allegedly still remain. And according to the New York Times, on the day it opened in 2006, the Roosevelt Island tram broke down. Coincidence, or an example of angry ghosts getting their revenge? If you’re willing to put up with the latter, apartments are available to rent from about $2,200.
4. 455 Central Park West
This gorgeous, castle-like Upper West Side building has a grisly past: It was originally a cancer hospital, but apparently, “the best outcome most patients could hope for was to pass their final days in a booze—and morphine—induced stupor.” It later became a nursing home where abuse was rampant before being transformed into luxury condos, but ghosts from its more notorious past still haunt the place. A splendid five-bedroom that takes full advantage of the building’s turrets could be yours for $8 million—if you dare.
5. The Ansonia
You could live in this iconic Upper West Side apartment building for as little as $3,150 per month—it has both rentals and sales units available—but you’d have to deal with some spirits in the process. Residents have reported seeing ghosts in elevators, the basement, and other parts of the building; and employees in an American Apparel that once occupied the ground floor claimed that odd occurrences, like lights flickering, happened occasionally.
6. 123 On the Park
In the more than 150 years since it was first built, this stately Clinton Hill building went from being a home for older women to a motor inn that served as a home base for prostitutes to a condo development, where one unit is currently for sale. Allegedly, the spirits of both the older and younger women who once lived (and, uh, plied their trade) there still haunt the halls.
8. 2475 Richmond Road
The creepiest-looking home on this list just went off the market as of a week ago—but hey, maybe it will become available again. The Gustave A. Mayer house was built in 1855, and became increasingly dilapidated over the years, leading the Times to call it “the Grey Gardens of Staten Island” in a piece earlier this year. It’s apparently haunted by its former residents, who include Mayer, an heir to the Nabisco fortune, and his daughters Pauline and Emilie, who became recluses in the home.
via Curbed
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