A few years ago, New York Magazine revealed that this graffiti-covered old bank on the Bowery (that we all probably thought was abandoned or filled with squatters) is in fact a single-family-home. A photographer, Jay Maisel, bought it in 1966 for $102,000–all 30,000 square feet, all 72 rooms.
Today (or, more accurately, when the story ran in 2008), agents estimated the resale value anywhere between $35 and $70 million.
Maisel still lives there, with only his wife and daughter. Isn’t that wild? I still can’t believe it. Every time we walk by I try to imagine this family going about their lives inside. But can you imagine growing up there? I think it would be too scary! Check out NY Mag’s slideshow; their exterior shot (below) gives you a much better sense of the building’s scale than my instagram shot. Seriously: It’s that entire building!
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