Bob Dylan’s former townhouse in Harlem’s historic Strivers’ Row has sold for $2.8 million, closing months after a price reduction helped attract a buyer for the landmark property where the musician lived from 1986 to 2000.
Where Dylan Slept
The Renaissance Revival townhouse at 265 W. 139th St. was listed last August for $3 million before its asking price was reduced by $250,000 in January. The five-bedroom home soon entered contract and the sale has now officially closed.
The sale, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, served as Dylan’s primary residence for more than a decade, during which the famously private singer maintained a low profile on the historic Harlem block.
Sellers Isam Salah, a retired attorney, and Elaina Richardson, the former editor in chief of Elle, purchased the home in 2018 for $3.17 million. Although they sold the property at a loss, Richardson previously told The Wall Street Journal that the home’s connection to Dylan was part of its appeal, saying it was hard not to wonder, “Did he sit on the stoop?” The sellers declined further comment on the sale.
Listing agent Colin Montgomery of Sotheby’s International Realty, who represented the property with Stan Ponte, said buyer interest increased this spring despite townhouse prices remaining below pre-pandemic levels. While Dylan’s connection generated attention, Montgomery said many prospective buyers were drawn more to the home’s architecture than its celebrity pedigree, describing it as “a little bit of a time capsule.”
The buyers were represented by Stanley Montfort of Serhant. Montfort described them only as empty nesters relocating from the suburbs and did not identify them.
Designed by architect Stanford White and completed in 1893, the approximately 4,500-square-foot townhouse spans four floors and a cellar. The home retains original details including decorative fireplaces, inlaid hardwood floors, period moldings and a wood-paneled entry vestibule, while featuring modern updates such as radiant-heated bathrooms and an updated chef’s kitchen.
Montgomery said homes along Strivers’ Row typically sell between $2 million and $3 million, placing the transaction near the upper end of that range despite the reduction from its original asking price.