1. The Dakota (above) is a cooperative apartment building located on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Completed in 1884, this iconic building was the home of former Beatles member John Lennon from 1973 until his murder in 1980 in the building’s archway. Other famous residents have included: Lauren Bacall, Leonard Bernstein, Connie Chung, Rosemary Clooney, José Ferrer, Roberta Flack, Judy Garland, Lillian Gish, Boris Karloff, John Madden, Joe Namath, Rudolf Nureyev, Rosie O’Donnell, Jack Palance, Maury Povich, Gilda Radner, Rex Reed, Jason Robards, and Wilbur Ross. Interestingly, Gene Simmons, Billy Joel, Carly Simon, Melanie Griffith, and Antonio Banderas have all been denied residency by the board!
- Visited: 2014
- National Registry of Historic Places: 1972
- National Historic Landmark: 1976
- America’s Favorite Architecture: #87
2. The Strawberry Fields Memorial is a 2.5-acre landscaped section of Central Park dedicated to the memory of John Lennon. It is named for The Beatles’ song “Strawberry Fields Forever”, which itself is named for the former the Strawberry Field children’s home in Liverpool, England, which was located near Lennon’s childhood home on Menlove Avenue. The memorial’s focal point is a circular pathway mosaic of inlaid stones featuring the single word “Imagine”, in reference to the title of Lennon’s famous song (below). Designed in the style of Portuguese pavement and based on a Greco-Roman design, it was created by Italian craftsmen and donated as a gift by the city of Naples. It is often covered with flowers, candles, and other items left behind by Lennon’s many fans, often in the form of a “PEACE” symbol. On both October 9th (Lennon’s birthday) and December 8th (the anniversary of his death), people gather to sing songs and pay solemn tribute.
- Visited: 2014
3. The Ed Sullivan Theatre, located between West 53rd and 54th Streets in the Broadway Theater District of Manhattan, has been used as a venue for CBS broadcasts since 1936. It is historically known as the home of The Ed Sullivan Show, which hosted The Beatles’ debut performance in the United States on Sunday, February 9, 1964 — widely considered to be a milestone in American pop culture. In fact, they actually appeared on the show the following two Sundays as well. Since 1993, the theatre has been home to the late night talk show The Late Show, which began using the theater during David Letterman’s tenure and continued under Stephen Colbert when he took over the show in 2015.
- Visited: 2014, 2019
- National Registry of Historic Places: 1997
Traces of Places 