I used to live in a NYC loft in the 1970s: A 5 flight walk-up, but 2000 sq ft at $175 a month

1970s

Me on stairwell outside my door
The dining area and kitchen, c. 1972. My girlfriend Carla's painting of David Crosby and Graham Nash from Crosby Stills Nash and Young seen on wall.
Caroline putting on lipstick, c. 1972.
Corner of the loft with Andy Warhol's self-portrait, c. 1974.
Trevor, c. 1970.
Carla and Gloria, c. 1970.
Me at the dining room table under the skylight, c. 1972.
Living room, c. 1974
Lee, Heidi, Tom and Jeff, c. 1970.
Janet and Mike arm wresting, c. 1971.
Carla and Mike, c. 1970. Carla's paintings of Rita Heyworth in background.

1/11

in OldSchoolCoolby Gallery98

43.8K

96%

monkey_trumpets

5.5K

$175 1970 is $1500 today. However I highly doubt that that apartment is going for only $1500.

fimpster

4.1K

I'll bet it's now 4 apartments each going for $4500.

monkey_trumpets

1.1K

Most likely. 2000 sq ft in NY? Maybe if you're a millionaire.

well_shoothed

784

And with a skylight! A SKYLIGHT?!?

People would push their own mothers into oncoming traffic for 2,000' with a skylight today.

Carcosa504

161

I’d at least throw Mama From the Train

DispoPro

Owen loves his momma

crimson23locke

He’s trying to kill me with UNSALTED NUTS! Make me CHOKE!

OpenYourMind_888

A writer writes, always.

UnjuggedRabbitFish

The night was sultry.

YogurtclosetOk3691

The main joke in Barefoot in the Park is that the apartment was awful... but even that apartment had a skylight

Chateaudelait

There's also a trope now in some films and TV shows where older people such as this fellow lived in a loft like this and due to tenants rights, or rent control, or even squatters rights they live in an apartment this huge and gorgeous and in some cases even own it outright. I remember as a child seeing a story about Gilda Radner and her apartment was similar- I was amazed at how huge and luxurious it was. The interior looked like the 1920's in a good way.

whutchamacallit

575

Was curious, looked it up -- legit about 10k a month.

pwppip

304

Which, if you're going by the 30% rule of income, you need to be pulling in a cool $400k/year to afford.

rg4rg

407

Boomers had it so easy.

monkeyhitman

189

You could write a sitcom about this living situation.

Brave_Escape2176

175

"im a barista and i only need one roommate to have a house sized apartment smack dab in the middle of NYC!"

EmotionalDmpsterFire

They worked harder, uphill in the snow, both ways, all you whipper snappers.

Healthy-Educator-267

128

NYC was dangerous dirty and dingy back then. People still think it’s all three but it’s practically a kids park compared to what it was

TheOneTonWanton

NYC had that rep for a reason but the same was true for every major city back then. NYC was only famous for it for the same reason it's famous for everything else: its importance as the city in the US.

Healthy-Educator-267

Right, so among people who really wanted to enjoy city life NYC was the number 1 destination, but most families with kids (who were on average wealthier than the youth who flocked to the city) didn’t wanna live in the city.

laberdog

Good point. NYC was way more like the movie taxi driver then

Rooster_Entire

"Warriors, come out to play-yay”

rajrdajr

106

Boomers supported unions which built up a solid middle class. Ronald Reagan tore that down. Also, in 1968, Fannie Mae was created and suddenly there was a lot more money available for mortgages. Pour money into an economic engine and what happens? That’s right, prices go up.

People voted in politicians that kept the perks for the boomers (who voted them in) and took them away from the demographics that didn’t get out and vote.

Morale of the story? Vote! And vote for politicians that will help you now, not the politician that helps the rich person you want to be. If/when you are that rich person, sure, vote for the rich person’s politician, but until then, vote for the person who will raise the minimum wage, improve social safety nets, and boost unions that can provide good wages, healthcare, and livable pensions. Someday, the government can step in and do this (see Western Europe), but until then, unions are the next best option.

anamariapapagalla

Western Europe here: unions is how we got our rights, and without the unions the government wouldn't "step in": they (and we) are used to normal people having power in a way they just don't seem to have in the US

NRMusicProject

No, it's because nobody wants to work!

DryApplejohn

But I actually don’t wanna work

PhilxBefore

We don't mind working.

"Nobody wants to pay."

Imhappy_hopeurhappy2

I’ve got 1500 square feet for $3500 in Brooklyn. I got a pretty good deal though.

Malumeze86

Can I borrow five bucks?

I’ll never pay you back, but I’ll spend it wisely. I promise.

crazyeyeskilluh

Astoria here. 2500 for 1 bedroom, rent stabilized. 4 story building with a backyard we aren’t allowed to use.

sheofthetrees

Yes, I lived in a loft in Boston in the mid-80s and paid $400/mo. There were 3 of us and it was 3800 square feet of raw loft space. We put in a makeshift kitchen and there were 2 bathrooms. I recently looked up the building and there are now teeny loft apartments for $4+k. crazy.

Novusor

Was about to say they would divide that loft into 4 apartments and rent each quarter for 4 times as much.

Letriono

160

Average salary was about $8k in 1970 so that means the average income earner could pretty easily afford this place.

Today I bet the same place was converted to multiple units and even one of those units probably goes for what the average income is entirely.

jmlinden7

1970's Brooklyn is roughly equivalent to present-day South Side Chicago, where an average Chicago income earner could still easily afford a fairly large loft

EggmanIAm

Stay out of Chicago you NYC area nerds. You put trash in the street like animals.

jmlinden7

That's.. my point. The kinda person who's complaining about no longer being able to afford Brooklyn is overlooking the fact that 1970's Brooklyn is nothing like modern-day Brooklyn, and is much closer to South Side Chicago (which is somewhere that they don't actually want to live)

snertwith2ls

Twice as many people in the world today as in 1970

CouncilmanDougWilson

NYC population 1974: 7.6m

NYC population 2024: 7.9m

SeeYouSpaceCowboy---

Size of NYC in square miles has also remained the same. Which means they crammed 300,000 more people into the same already cramped space.

pursuitofhappy

which means nyc is a lot more competitive to live in if now there's double the people in the world trying to get here hence why rent is so high.

KingPictoTheThird

Ya if only we could build more housing

monkey_trumpets

Pretty crazy to think about

A LOT more corporate greed, too

snertwith2ls

Pretty much runaway corporate greed. How in the world did corporations become "people"? I feel like that alone did in the rest of us "real" people.

Lostarchitorture

The Citizens United case in the Supreme Court did this.

Before, companies were taxed and if you had issues with that, you brought it forth as an individual to your local council or government rep. The "No taxation without representation" arguments were the backbone of it. If their company is taxed, their company should have a say in how the government is being run.

The case argued that unless the company doesn't have to pay taxes anymore, it should have a voice in the government. Instead of giving current taxpaying companies more voice here, it has instead started a bunch of rich people creating taxpaying companies whose sole purpose is to push their political idealogy.

snertwith2ls

Funny how those loopholes just magically appear when needed. I get the seeming logic behind no taxation without representation but I think it's a fallacy. And what's happened, besides what you so rightly point out, is that in addition to that, "we the people" are now taxed without adequate representation because we don't have lobbyists and our so called representatives are bought and paid for by corporations so they no longer answer to us real people.

monkey_trumpets

They definitely have a lot more power than people do, that's for sure

OhFuuuuuuuuuuuudge

Not quite in the u.s. yet.

Walkend

133

You’re right because inflation fails to include the most important metric.

Greed.

jmlinden7

Rich people didn't want to live in Brooklyn back in the 70s

hellolovely1

This wasn't Brooklyn, though. It was in Chinatown near Soho/Nolita (which is also where rich people didn't want to live in the 70s).

Bubbly-Dragonfruit14

Unless it was directly on Central Park, rich people didn't want to live anywhere in NYC in the 70s.

SirMellencamp

Exactly. You can get a nice apartment for $1250 a month in Rochester. I guess people in Rochester are not greedy

rasputin777

Try comparing the amenities of Brooklyn then with today. And the crime level.

You're welcome to live in a loft in Detroit for $2k a month, that would be comparable. But you probably don't want to.

nlpnt

A friend of mine in LA puts it (in terms of that city);

The people moving into South Central were priced out of Boyle Heights;

The people moving into Boyle Heights were priced out of Echo Park;

The people moving into Echo Park were priced out of Los Feliz;

The people moving into Los Feliz were priced out of Coldwater Canyon;

The people moving into Coldwater Canyon were priced out of Bel Air;

And the people moving into Bel Air have the money to price God out of Heaven.

Walkend

Over an infinite timeline all undesirable places will eventually be desirable

fivedinos1

When my family moved to NYC from Italy in the 50's they got all their cash together and pooled everything after deciding renting sucked and bought a brownstone to rent and live in the red light district of NYC, fucking wild how much it's changed

DeceiverX

Mine were in tenements in the early 1900's. Couldn't afford to own. It was my great grandma/grandpa and their twelve kids in a one bedroom apartment. 8 of the kids died during the Depression, the remaining four moved to a super sketchy area of Hartford, CT after the war because it was cheaper, and eventually bought also in the 50's a town over after similarly pooling money and taking out loans from friends.

While NYC may have gentrified, their first place in Hartford sure didn't. Also crazy how much some places stay the same, too.

Novusor

Asset price inflation far out paces normal inflation.

ebenezerlepage

A good seat for Led Zeppelin in 1973 was $6. Nowadays, according to inflation calculator, it should be $42.

RAYTHEON_PR_TEAM

It’s still possible, I think. I was splitting a 3000 sq ft loft in Fort Greene with one person for $1250 each up until 2018.

Freshy007

when it comes to rent, there's pre 2021 prices and there's post 2021 prices

I was renting a two bedroom condo for $900 in 2018, same unit is 2k now.

jculv

I mean, not to shit on Fort Greene, but if this actually the Bowery area, it’s substantially different pricing.

Mr_NumNums

In 1979 it's only $805

gtmc5

3.0K

Super cool to see. Way better than old sexy celebrity photos which are recycled.

I moved to NYC (well Brooklyn) in 1989 and my best score was a rent controlled walk up 3rd floor studio for $425 a month, only 400+ SF but on a lovely tree line street one block from Prospect Park in Park Slope.

DrNinnuxx

327

Better than my studio in an old power station on Fulton street down by the South Street Sea Port in '89 for $550.. Felt like I was living at the end of the world.

goodbye_wig

That’s so cool. I work down there and bet I’ve walked past your old apartment many times.

TripolarMan

Only until 1981 would all of this beautiful go away. Reagan elected to office, then America down the shitter.

guitarguywh89

And traitor Ollie north still not in prison and giving interviews on fox news

DumbStupidBrain

Until 2011 I had a 1br above a funeral home in sunset park for $525. The owner inherited it from his family and you had to be vetted by the locals, normally folks from the Irish Haven. It was the best deal anybody heard of at the time. God bless you Eddie Cosgrove

KickBallFever

In 2002 I took over an apartment in Bedstuy. We had the whole top floor (3br) for $800. Before I moved in the previous tenant took me around and introduced me to the locals, letting them know that I was new but I was their friend. This was well received and I never had any problems.

helium_farts

That's about $1100 now. I wonder what that unit goes for today.

Imhappy_hopeurhappy2

Depends which street in Park Slope, but probably around $3500-4000.

Oldkingcole225

There's rent-controlled apartment I know in Park Slope that's $5,000/month.

gtmc5

Garfield Place between 8th Ave and Prospect Park. Owner had tried to sell it as condos but was stopped (back in mid/late 1980s due to it being officially an SRO - single resident occupancy - building. It was only an SRO as there was one bathroom per floor (shared by 2 units). Not ideal, but kept it from being condo'd which was what led me to being able to rent it at a great price. I think Lenny Kravitz lived in the building before me and I know Vanessa Del Rio lived there when I did.

tMoneyMoney

I’d say it’s safe to multiply it x10 today, but if it’s right by a subway and has any outdoor space it could easily get $5k.

mods_r_jobbernowl

Probably minimum 3 or 4 times that depending on what's been done to it. You'll be lucky to find anything below 3k.

Ultravod

I really like titty. I like vintage titty. I am so so done with all of the gratuitous vintage (and by "vintage" I mean as late as 1998 these days) titty posted in this subreddit. So many cool things happened in the past that were interesting and not Photogenic Hot Chick (or sometimes Dude.) It's a sad state of affairs that I find it so refreshing to see something that isn't titty in this subreddit.

DraymondDickKick

If you like vintage tiddies you'd love my nan.

deathfaces

Well then put your money where your nan is and post some pictures of her being cool with them tiddies out

DraymondDickKick

I have to wait for wheel of fortune to start. When she throws her arms in the air that tiddy drop is tremendous!

beereed

[GIF]

Exldk

Truly one of the comments of all time

deathfaces

I can already hear them slapping into her lap

Nostromeow

Agreed 100%. It’s honestly annoying to see yet another cool subreddit devolve into basically softcore porn. For the hundredth time yes Cameron Diaz was super hot in the late 90’s, we get it. But I want to see some cool stuff from the past, cool outfits, common people doing common stuff too. Of course I don’t mind sexiness but it shouldn’t be the focus of every damn post.

User deleted comment

RX3000

Im pretty sure thats just a picture of Ringo Starr....

Jam_B0ne

1.3K

[Image]

Nice.

DelightfulDolphin

A version of Nixon bingo?

EpicAura99

“Ask your doctor if Nixingo is right for you”

jfk_47

171

Fuck Nixon.

YourDogIsMyFriend

Good thing the republicans got their act together after him huh?

ButterscotchEmpty290

201

The industrial unit heater is something else.

launachgewahren

I had one of those in a nyc loft more recently (2009-2022). They’re even louder than they look.

somesketchykid

It seems like it is hanging in mid air in a very insecure way. I get nervous looking at that picture

Vandergrif

It looks like it weighs as much as a fridge and is suspended on a single pipe.

JMTREY

That's the 70s baby

CalendarAggressive11

997

Now this is old school cool. Thanks for sharing! I am an 80s baby. Grew up in the 80s and 90s and I feel like I missed out on the cool 70s era.

_DONG_LORD_

Grass is always greener! I grew up in the 90s and 00s and I feel the same way about the 80s

Betrayedleaf

for real, i grew up in the 00s and 10s and i’m sure there’s some of those being born today and recently that will be wishing they grew up in my times, yet i wish i would have gotten to experience things in the 90s. nostalgia

spork3600

Me too!

dandaman1983

Same here man.

InTheBlkHoodie

514

I wish we had of way of knowing we were in the good old days before we actually leave them.

Andy

Gwenbors

123

Unfortunately halcyon days are rewarded retroactively.

Bill Watterson

NukedNoodle

Sigh.

-Me

GooGooMukk

"There was never any good old days They are today, they are tomorrow It's a stupid thing we say Cursing tomorrow with sorrow"

RumandDiabetes

125

Now I want to hear stories about Carla, and Trevor, and Heidi, and Jeff, and Mike, and the rest

Gallery98

133

Check out 98bowery.com

Thegoodlife93

Thanks for sharing. I just spent some time going through it. Some interesting stuff. Very cool how you've collected your memories and photos from that time period. It must make you feel awfully nostalgic, huh?

fadingsignal

98bowery.com

Wow this is awesome thanks for sharing

RumandDiabetes

Awesome!!!

Silver_Slicer

Let’s not forget Caroline.

CompetitiveEbb5859

738

[Image]

I picked a couple of what I assumed are you to color correct. I’ll comment below this with the second.

CompetitiveEbb5859

576

[Image]

I could correct the other discolorations on both photos but I’m not fast enough to do it and do not spend a long time on these but I hope you like either way!

Gullible-Date-3431

Am I the only one creeped out by the doll?

Glacial_Plains

Or the floating eye between them

EvolutionCreek

Pornstache OP got convicted but it was the doll who murdered every person shown except him, sadly.

hellolovely1

I feel like he has a little bit of a Ryan Gosling does Serpico vibe in this one.

Mujased

Jesus how do you do this

PhiladelphiaManeto

121

The “auto” edit button in Photoshop probably gets you 75% there honestly.

CompetitiveEbb5859

Exactly. However I was 95% ai app on these.

jtr99

Your intentions are good, of course, but it's widely known that the 1970s were actually heavily magenta-tinted.

sprchrgddc5

Damn now I wanna go through my parent’s photos and color correct it. This makes the photo feel so much more recent.

eggsaladrightnow

What a time to be alive. No phones, no social media. Just hanging out and talking when you get bored

L1A1

Not to mention a murder rate almost quadruple what it is now!

scwt

Just hanging out and talking and murdering when you get bored.

_no_bozos

246

That must have been an amazing moment in time.

brightlyy_

you must have seen some shit living in NYC in the 70s

OptimalSkeptic

Dig the Money Jungle LP. A nice little window into your past. Thank you.

vazvazvaz

Scrolling through the photos, that LP cover leaped out at me. I don’t know what I’m talking about when it comes to jazz, but that album seems underrated and is best of all time level for me.

gjohnbug

Scrolling the comments hoping to see another head who spotted that

RadioLongjumping5177

Brings back great memories of the ‘70s. BTW, Carla was quite an accomplished artist!😊

katlikemeow814

THIS is fuckin old school cool right here. Good stuff.

TonyG_from_NYC

When I lived in the city in the 80s with my grandparents for a little bit, it was basically free because he was the super.

We had this huge 2500 sq ft place where all the grandkids hung out.

I can only imagine what that place costs now.

lucid808

Coolest post I've seen on here for a long time, thanks a lot for sharing this. I love that you put their names on each photo, and who did the art work in your apt., very cool. Looks like you had a good life, surrounded by good friends.

PhotoshopMemeRequest

Amazing, thanks for sharing! And please everyone upvote this post so we can drown out dumbass sexy celeb pics lol

TSS997

121

Give me $8k a month please…

EngineeringOne1812

2000 sq ft loft would be even more, matters on the neighborhood of course

SpecialistNerve6441

Its Bowery. Jfc this place would net its landlord a small fortune every fucking month

Merry_Dankmas

I know a dude who bought his unit outright back in the 70s. First thing you see when you go to his window is the complete view of Central Park. His place is quite literally right across the street. It's some of the primest real estate you can get. I forget how much he paid for it but it was reasonable at the time. Guy is sitting on an absolute fortune now. Landlords would do despicable things to rent out a unit like that. I don't know if all units there are rented, owned or both but he owns his free and clear. Mf has a true gem of a place. He doesn't have any kids though and he's getting old so I'm very curious as to who he's gonna pass it on to when the time comes.

CalendarAggressive11

Well duh, it's not freedom if rich people can't squeeze every single dollar out of all of us!

DownrightNeighborly

153

How much fuck was there

Notabot615

100

All

daskapitalyo

Alright, alright, alright

User deleted comment

14412442

Caroline: all the guys would say she's mighty fine

pip-roof

The reznor gas heater is epic.

DesertRat_748

I had a room in a loft on Varick street for $400 / month . it was insane and we built the space ourselves! Old NYC was just too good!!!!

Askymojo

Awesome pics. I have walked by 98 Bowery many times. Was it still a street with Chinese businesses when you lived there? I'm curious how much Chinatown has moved around over the years.

beerme72

My Moms Sister had a 4th or 5th floor walk up in Manhattan for a long time and they had those classic early 60's parties and I asked my dad about them and all he had to say was: the parties were great, back staggering down ALL those damn steps drunk? forget about it....they (the parties) weren't worth it half the time....but they threw GREAT parties!

4Mag4num

It was better to be 20 something in the 70s than 70 something in the 20s..

Albie_Tross

This is the gritty 1970s NYC that I've always dreamed of being a part of.

rednikeshort

How much acid was done in there

Duffelastic

yes

RomeoInBlackJeans1

A mansion!

MTheOverlord

Something tells me weed was smoked in that loft. Also Carla and Gloria are fine af.

Silver_Slicer

You missed Caroline.

InformalCollege4383

Now that’s cool.

Candid_Asparagus_785

Love the Andy Warhol pic. Man these were the good old days before we even knew it was cool. Wish I had a Time Machine.

Fun_Bar5327

If I could go back and live in any decade in any place I think it would be 1970’s NYC

bamtron

1970s 2000sq ft 175$ vs 2024 175 sq ft 2000$

Lucky2240

Getting old sucks, everyone was young and hip back then…amazing time capsule

kerryren

Are these the Good Old Days I’ve heard about?

Yoyo_Ma86

The glory days, if you will

See_youSpaceCowboy

You lucky sob

mibonitaconejito

And now....a bedroom in some's house here in ATL costs $1000 a month.

I'm so happy you had this experience and way, way cool pictures! But I'm gonna go drink and cry now lol

Bitter_Mongoose

🤔 Wow. Thanks for the flashback, my parents were just like you and your crowd.

galwegian

You lucky bastard. I lived in NYC in the late 80s/90s and always had the feeling I got there ten years too late. It was still wild New York but I felt I missed the real party.

kooshballcalculator

Those are great photos and your decorating was heavy on the houseplants. Very cool!

iamcharity

Per the inflation calculator, that is the equivalent of $1454.02. Can you fucking imagine a 300 sq ft studio apartment being that cheap anywhere in NYC now?

Seienchin88

No it’s unimaginable but New Yorkers also became rich beyond comprehension in the last 30 years so it’s easy for landlords to extract so much money from them via rent…

Supply and demand.

TastyCakesOverweight

So how did you feel about Nixon?

Arcturus_Labelle

One of the best posts I’ve seen in this sub.

Mihil

Does that loft still exist?

la_pan_ther_rose

Thanks for posting!

OutlawGaming01

I can literally smell the weed

fredfreddy4444

Could you at least use the service elevator to get your furniture up there or did you have to pivot all of it up 5 flights?

HaggisInMyTummy

SERVICE ELEVATOR LOL my man

When I lived in an elevator building in Manhattan there was exactly one elevator and when you were moving you were lucky if stuff fit in it. The mattresses would go down the stairwells.

That's a "let them eat cake" reply if I've ever seen one

Jackismyboy

Looks like my place in Hamburg Germany in the 70’s. Only no bathroom. Had to use a common WC in the hallway shared by three apartments.

SulkyShulk

But wasn't 1970's NYC scary? I've seen Scorsese movies.

rawthreat

Lmao

sysaphiswaits

Holy shit. The price. I lived in a much smaller, grosser place. (Like 2 bathrooms per floor) in the 90’s. $700. (And that was so cheap at the time.)

jphernandez1020

I lived in Brooklyn 10 years ago. My room in a 4 bedroom apartment was 800 bucks. It was a 4/1 with 3 other students.

Alteredego619

I can’t help but think of this when I see renting in NYC-

“This is the place I was telling you about. It's real fucked up. Got just one window facing a brick wall. Used to rent it to a blind man... damn shame what they did to that dog.”

Meandtheworld

Ha. Could only imagine what the cost is now!

AgentBlue14

I cannot imagine how much of a pain in the ass it must've been to move in and out of the apartment

sortageorgeharrison

I ask this honestly (as a 35 y/o male who relates highly to the 1970’s), despite probably already knowing the answer, but it was much better living back then, wasn’t it?

femboyxx98

1970s New York was a crime-ridden hellhole. Times Square was full of prostitutes, you couldn’t walk through Central Park without getting mugged, the city essentially went bankrupt in 1975, and there was a 25 hour blackout in 1977. A million people left by the end of the decade due to how bad it was.

If you want cheap rent and aren’t afraid of crime, there’s plenty of places available in Detroit today.

trendypippin

Life was so much more interesting then. So cool.

nomamesgueyz

Them were the days

When shit was affordable for young people

_Ozeki

Tell us about Studio 54

-castle-bravo-

Not a cellphone in sight, just people living life!

mesquite_desert

Really great pics, man you had a life.