Skip to Content
CityRealty Logo
Get To Know

NYC Apartment Buildings From Your Favorite Movies

Elizabeth Taylor silk slip in Butterfield8 (1960, via Scoopnest) Elizabeth Taylor silk slip in Butterfield8 (1960, via Scoopnest)
New York City is so often used as a cinematic backdrop, we sometimes feel like we’re living on a movie set. Where else can countless apartment buildings be the site of fascinating, fun and fearsome storylines? The iconic Dakota, for example, was the spooky set of "Rosemary's Baby." The Prasada at 50 Central Park West was featured in "Three Men and a Baby;" nearby, 55 Central Park West was home to "Ghostbusters" character Dana Barrett and accountant Louis Tully. And below are more NYC apartment buildings that were immortalized on the silver screen.

In this article:

1050 Fifth Avenue
1050 Fifth Avenue Carnegie Hill
1050 Fifth Avenue, #8B 1050 Fifth Avenue, #8B (Warburg Realty)

1050 Fifth Avenue Upper East Side's Gold Coast

The exterior of this elegant co-op was used as Elizabeth Taylor's residence in "Butterfield 8," the film responsible for the actress's first Oscar. Built in 1960 by developer Bernard Spitzer (former governor Eliot Spitzer's father), the 19-story, 90-unit Upper East Side building offers spectacular views of Central Park. Amenities include a full-time doorman and a full-service garage. As of December 2018, there are two apartments listed in the building: #10C is a two-bed, two-bath with southern exposures asking $3.25M and #8B, a two-bed, two-bath with corner views of Central Park priced at $2.55M.


Minetta Street and Al Pacino who plays Serpico

5 Minetta StreetGreenwich Village

Though quaint, curving Minetta Street in Greenwich Village is iconic in its own right, you might remember this rental building from the 1973 movie "Serpico" as Al Pacino's character Frank Serpico's first Manhattan residence. Built in 1900, the dark-crimson brick building has 24 rental apartments. Availabilities in the past year has had studios priced from $2,200/month and one-bedrooms starting at $3,100/month. Next door at 9 Minetta, a developer is converting the 20-unit apartment building into a single-familiy mansion. To put it lightly, this is not New York of the 70s anymore.


Would you like to tour this property?
Just complete the info below.
  1. Select which properties are of interest to you:

Or call us at (212) 755-5544

31 West 21st StreetFlatiron

The sleek penthouse of this Flatiron apartment building was home to restless young banker Jake Moore (played by Shia LaBeouf) in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," the sequel to Oliver Stone's 1987 classic. The 1907 Beaux-Arts style condo building was once home to shirt manufacturers and suit merchants; post-conversion, all residences are impressive 4,713-square-foot lofts with oversized windows and cinematic views of the Empire State Building. There are no units available in the 11-unit building but earlier this summer a full-floor, 3-bedrom loft on the ninth floor sold for $7.995M, 20% less than its asking price.


The Dakota Scene from Rosemary's Baby via mondo-digital.com

The Dakota, 1 West 72nd StreetUpper West Side

The Dakota is iconic for a number of reasons, but the building really got its first-star turn in Roman Polanski's eerie and unsettling horror "Rosemary's Baby." However, while Rosemary's neighbors were a coven of Satan worshipers, today's Dakota residents are far tamer (and richer), usually of the Hollywood persuasion.



As the most famous New York City co-op apartment building, The Dakota has long attracted notables personalities because of its spacious residences, prime Central Park location and storied history dating from its construction in 1884. Currently, just three homes are available in the building with the most lavish spread being a 4-bed, 3.5-bath asking $12.5 million

The Prasada, 50 Central Park West, #4AD available for $7.45M (Corcoran)

The Prasada, 50 Central Park West Upper West Side

In the film Three Men and a Baby, Three bachelor friends—architect Peter (Tom Selleck), artist Michael (Steve Guttenberg), and actor Jack (Ted Danson)—find themselves sharing an apartment in the famed Prasada. After Jack leaves to film on location, his two roommates discover a baby left outside their front door. Long story short, the baby is Jack's lovechild and madness ensues as the trio try to adjust to life with a little one. The movie is certainly a relic of "old New York," as today you definitely won't find three struggling creatives shacking up at this Central Park West address. Over the past six years, all homes sold in the building have fetched more than $2.3 million. Currently available is a four-bedroom combo unit on the fourth floor with an ask of $7.45 million.

Would you like to tour this property?
Just complete the info below.
  1. Select which properties are of interest to you:

Or call us at (212) 755-5544
Would you like to tour any of these properties?

Related Articles

Future New York

NYC contracts led by $18.5M Upper East Side mansion and a bespoke Billionaires' Row condo

Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Future New York

Price Cuts: $5M off ‘Ghostbusters’ building penthouse; La La Anthony cuts 18% off Clinton Hill townhouse

Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Great Listings

Price Cuts: $10M slashed from Hugh Jackman’s waterfront triplex; William Randolph Hearst's former Riverside Drive penthouse reduced

Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Great Listings

Tudor City at 100: Rich history and attractive listings from $309K at Turtle Bay city-within-a-city

Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Iconic Addresses

Paul Newman's parkside office sells 47% over ask; Pre-war condo conversions lead Manhattan sales

Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Get To Know

What is a sponsor unit? Pros, cons, and NYC apartments with no board approval required from $165K

Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Get To Know

How property values are assessed in NYC + Great new listings with open houses from $445K

Saturday, June 20, 2026
Get To Know

Swim with a View: 30 Manhattan buildings with high-floor swimming pools and fitness centers

Saturday, June 20, 2026