Seminal pop musician Paul McCartney sold his Manhattan residence recently, but didn’t fare terribly well at the closing. The Upper East Side duplex changed hands at $8.5 million, registering as a $7 million loss for the grandfather of pop music, who acquired the place about seven years ago for $15.5 million.
The penthouse unit in a 1967-built building designed by architect Horace Ginsbern, the co-op residence is a four-bedroom property occupying space on the fifteenth and sixteenth floors. According to public records, the yang to Lennon’s yin listed the thoroughgoing Manhattanite pad nearly a year ago for $12 million.
The property contains four bedrooms and five baths, with shared living areas culminating in a large living room. The unit features walls of oversized glass panes that allow for exceptional Central Park views. Amenities in the unit include a library and a master suite with a sitting room. Judging by public records associated with McCartney’s 2015 purchase and the recent closing, the Beatle had the residence’s floorplan dramatically overhauled after investing in it, adding a likely six- or seven-figure bill to his purchase price.
The building is exceedingly comfortable, even intimately so; it contains just 26 apartments. Amenities include a garden and a full-time doorman. The Met and the Guggenheim are within walking distance.
The Beatles are the best-selling music act of all time; record sales are said to exceed 600 million. Following the so-called British Invasion of 1964, nearly every one of their studio albums topped the Billboard chart, save for the odd album that peaked at number two. McCartney followed up with several chart-toppers of his own as a solo artist (and for a time with band Wings), the most recent of which is 2018’s Egypt Station. His most recent solo release, 2020’s McCartney III, peaked at number two.
McCartney’s popularity shows no sign of abating, nor does he show any sign of slowing down. The spry 79-year old is currently in the middle of his Got Back tour, which takes him to select destinations around the U.S. and Europe. His One on One tour, which took place in 2016 and 2017, grossed nearly $250 million.
