10. David Bowie, Martin Scorsese, and John Mayer Have All Called Nolita Home
Perhaps expectedly, given the neighborhood’s history and strong arts culture, Nolita has been a hotspot for celebrities over the past few decades. One of the most famous residents of Nolita was David Bowie, who lived in a four-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom condo on Lafayette Street. The home, which sold for $16.8 million, was purchased in 1999 and was where Bowie lived with his wife Iman until passing away in 2016. Another apartment on Lafayette Street was owned by John Mayer, who purchased the two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom condo in 2005. He eventually sold the 2,063-square-foot home in 2013. Other celebrities who lived at 225 Lafayette have included Tyra Banks and Dakota Fanning.
One of the area’s former residents decades ago was Martin Scorcese, who grew up at 232 Elizabeth Street. The building was occupied mostly by immigrants from Sicily and was often called Cirmina, a town outside Palermo; the building across the street was mainly occupied by immigrants from another town near Palermo called Pulizi. Many of the residents along Elizabeth Street ran businesses in the neighborhood, including butcheries and bakeries. Scorcese recalled Mary the Butcher, who was still working into her 90s, as well as Mr. Torminelli’s grocery store. The opening shot of his film Who’s That Knocking at My Door depicts the view from his grandmother’s window.