Where did John Lennon grow up and live?

📍The Dakota, 1 West 72nd Street, New York City, USA

1973 – 1980

“The Dakota was one of the great addresses in New York, and I chose it deliberately — a building with history, with weight, overlooking Central Park from the Upper West Side. Yoko and I moved in in 1973 and I spent years making it our home, our studio, our sanctuary. Sean was born while we lived there, and some of the happiest years of my life were spent in those rooms — baking bread, drawing, writing, being a house husband while Yoko ran our business affairs. After the chaos of the Beatles and the bitterness of the breakup and the years of activism and controversy, the Dakota gave me something I hadn't had since childhood: an ordinary life. I could walk in Central Park, stop at the deli, sign autographs without it becoming an event. New York accepted me as a neighbour, and I loved it for that.”

👍 LovedThe extraordinary location overlooking Central Park. New York's democratic energy — the sense that everyone belonged here and no one was too impressed by anyone else. The creative freedom of having space and time to work without expectation.

👎 DislikedThe security concerns that grew as the years passed. The difficulty of truly disappearing in a city that never sleeps. The way fame followed even into the most private moments.

Map showing where John Lennon lived — The Dakota, 1 West 72nd Street, New York City, USA

🗺️ Approximate location today

Street view of John Lennon's home at The Dakota, 1 West 72nd Street, New York City, USA

📍 Street view today

Sources: Goldman, A. The Lives of John Lennon (1988), William Morrow; Norman, P. John Lennon: The Life (2008), HarperCollins; Lennon, J. & Ono, Y. Double Fantasy liner notes (1980)