A piece of New York history just hit the rental market: the Tribeca townhouse that John Lennon and Yoko Ono used as the address for their “Nutopian Embassy” in 1973. For those who don’t remember, Lennon and Ono announced the birth of Nutopia, “a conceptual country” with no boundaries” and “no laws other than cosmic” when Lennon was being threatened with deportation in 1973. To prevent this, he sought diplomatic immunity and asked the United Nations for recognition as a Nutopian ambassador; in the process, he gave 1 White Street as the “embassy” address (the United Nations did not give recognition, but Lennon was also not deported).
Plot twist: The couple never actually lived in the townhouse, but for years, mail addressed to “John Lennon and Yoko Ono, c/o Nutopian Embassy” was delivered there; in 1980, after the musician’s tragic death, condolences flooded the mail. Now, after almost 50 years, the gut-renovated, 2,600-square-foot townhouse is on the rental market for $19,500 per month (Todd Lewin and Michael Rubin at CORE have the listing). With four stories of living space, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a private roof terrace, the property has a lot to offer—including some musical history.