(Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images)
While season two of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” brought us to the Catskills and even across the Atlantic to Paris, the show’s main setting is still New York City — specifically Midge’s huge apartment on the Upper West Side, owned by her parents, Rose and Abe. With the premiere of Season 3 this week, we decided to look into just how much Midge’s digs would be worth if she lived there now, more than 60 years since the show’s setting.
Mrs. Maisel’s Apartment in NYC
The building featured in exterior shots of Midge’s family home is a real NYC apartment building located at 404 Riverside Drive in Manhattan. The iconic 1909 edifice is called the Strathmore, and it really is on the Upper West Side (well, technically Morningside Heights). The elegant, 12-story limestone-and-brick structure has a full-time doorman in the lobby and contains impressive residences that boast intricate plaster moldings, inlaid parquet floors, mahogany doors and walnut paneling.
How Much Is the Mrs. Maisel Apartment Worth?
Even in 1959, living on the Upper West Side came with some prestige. We know that the Weissman family was well-off, but just how much was their home worth?
We took a look at the real building and found two units, #12CD and #12N, that could be combined to make a home comparable to what Midge and her family have on the show. In 2017, these units sold for a combined $8,850,000. Based on this, we estimate that if “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” were to take place today, Midge’s family would have a place worth just shy of $9 million.
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But how much would the home have been worth back in 1959? Based on data from the U.S. Census and the S&P Case Shiller Home Price Index, StreetEasy estimates that Midge Maisel’s apartment would have been worth approximately $462,000 in 1959. That’s nearly 19 times cheaper than what the same apartment would be worth today.
Meanwhile, over at Curbed, a little digging into the archives of The New York Times found that the Strathmore was in fact a rental building at the time the “Mrs. Maisel” story took place, with a 1o-room apartment renting for about $700 per month in 1964, or $5,800 today. This building went co-op in 1967, at which time an apartment like Midge’s cost $30,000 — or $231,000 in today’s dollars. Based on this info, the analysis concludes that a similar apartment to Mrs. Maisel’s would go for about $5 million today.
If you dream of living in an apartment like Mrs. Maisel’s, hold tight — there are no active listings in the Strathmore right now. (Though a 1-bedroom unit sold in September 2019 for $1,200,000.) Keep your eyes on StreetEasy — and you can always channel your inner Midge by visiting the real-life building on Riverside Drive.
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