Marlon Wise's Blog: Buddy Holly’s onetime Greenwich Village apartment seeks $1.6M

The legend behind "Everyday" and "Peggy Sue" called this apartment home before his untimely death

For a brief spell before Buddy Holly's untimely death in a plane crash in 1959—an event known, thanks to Don McLean and "American Pie," as "the Day the Music Died"—he lived in New York City with his wife, María.

The pair called an apartment in Greenwich Village's former Brevoort Hotel home for less than a year; during that time, the bespectacled musician recorded some of his final songs, including "Crying, Waiting, Hoping," and went to shows at iconic venues like the Village Gate and Village Vanguard.

Times have changed, though; the apartment that Holly once rented for $1,000/month, according to historian (and Curbed contributor) James Nevius, is now a co-op that just hit the market for $1.6 million. Compass's Julie Kopel has the listing, at 11 Fifth Avenue.

The apartment likely bears little resemblance to the one Holly and his wife occupied, save for one detail: a corner terrace, which overlooks Fifth Avenue.

On a practical level, the home has one full bedroom, and a small office that could, with some creative DIYing, be turned into another room. The living room is rather large, and the kitchen was recently updated with new stainless steel appliances. Closet space is also abundant here, with several walk-ins offering plenty of storage.

It's a fine apartment, but its most exciting attribute may be its connection to a musical legend—even if Holly did call it home for less than a year.